wmamm 







Glass, 



PRESENTED BY 



-A 






, 



DISCOVERY AND ADVENTURE 



AFRICA. 




NEW-YORK: 
HARPER & BROTHERS, 82 CLIFF-ST. 



1836, 



Harper's Stereotype Edition. 
NARRATIVE 

OF 

DISCOVERY AND ADVENTURE 

IN 

AFRICA, 

FROM THE EARLIEST AGES TO THE PRESENT TIME : 

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE 

GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, AND ZOOLOGY. 

wm 



BY PROFESSOR JAMESON, JAMES WILSON, ESQ., F.R.S.E., 

AND HUGH MURRAY, ESQ., F.R.S.E. 

1 



WITH A MAP ; PLANS OF THE ROUTES OF PARK, AND OF DENHAM AND 
CLAPPERTON ; AND SEVERAL ENGRAVINGS. 



NEW-YORK : 

PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, 

NO. S2 CLIFF-STREET 

1839 



^T5 



«wt from 

Miss Alfc« H 

J«n. 6,1932 




MAR 2 1944 



PREFACE, 



The object of this volume is to exhibit, withih a 
moderate compass, whatever is most interesting in 
the adventures and observations of those travellers 
who, from the earliest ages, and in various direc- 
tions, have sought to explore Africa; and also to 
give a general view of the physical and social condi- 
tion of that extensive continent at the present day. 
This quarter of the globe has afforded more ample 
scope than any other to the exertions of that class of 
men whose enterprising spirit impels them, regard- 
less of toil and peril, to penetrate into unknown coun- 
tries. Down to a comparatively recent period, the 
greater part of its immense surface was the subject 
only of vague report and conjecture. The progress 
of those discoverers, by whom a very large extent of 
its interior regions has at length been disclosed, 
having been accompanied with arduous labours, and 
achieved in the face of the most formidable obstacles, 
presents a continued succession of striking incidents, 
as well as of new and remarkable objects : and our 
interest cannot fail to be heightened by the considera- 
tion, that Britain, by the intrepid spirit of her travel- 
lers, her associations of distinguished individuals, 
and her national patronage, has secured almost the 
exclusive glory of the many important discoveries 
which have been made within the last forty years. 

The work now submitted to the public, and the 
recent one on the Polar Regions, embrace two of 
the most interesting fields of modern discovery. The 
adventurers who traversed these opposite parts of 
the world frequently found their efforts checked, and 
their career arrested, by the operation of causes which, 
although equally powerful, were yet extremely dif- 



V1 PREFACE. 



ferent m their nature. In the Northern Seas thev 
suffered from that dreadful extremity of cold to winch 
high latitudes are exposed; in Africa, from thescorch 

clmnatf-ThSli! 611 ^ 1 VaP ° UrS P«^o?SSa 
cnmate. there, they encountered the fury of oceans 

and tempests ; here, the privations and fati^es which 

se^^Tn t e h5r eller I" P f ched andboundT e rsde- 
seits. In the former they had less to endure from 
that almost total absence of human lifeXch re™ 
ders the Arc be zone so dreary, than they had to ex- 
perience m the latter from the fierce, contemntudm 
and persecuting character of the people who occupy 
the interior parts of the Libyan continent. In I 

hZt^ f Xpl0rill = these «*">* regions, he? 
biaved almost every species of danger, and passed 
through every variety of suffering, by which the 
strength and fortitude of man can be tried 

Fvn^ arr £ tlV t ° f these recessive Travels and 
Expeditions has been contributed by Mr. Hu-h Mur- 
l Y t , T u B ^logical Illustrations T have been fur- 

and for tbVinV 118 ^ ^^ Professor J ™ 
nS,™i ffi • nter ^ tm ? and ™y ample account of its 
WU on 2 hJnf e "Tlf der is . indebtg d to Mr. James 
. Wilson, author of "Illustrations of Zoology," and 
the principal contributor in that branch of science to 

The ™tT f ^ ^cyclopaedia BritanS 
HiltoJnf n V ° lume ' ha I in?for its main object the 
cKX « Dl fcovery and Adventure, does not in- 
fmift Tr tr \ eS °" V he Medit erranean coast, which 
from the earliest ages have been well known to the 

lauTtv 8 ^ E i Ur ° Pe ;- Effypt ' a S ain ' fromThigh an! 
tiquity, is stupendous monuments, and the memora- 

s nteTmSr / hr0Ugh WWch Jt has wTS- 
sented matter at once too interesting- and am D le to 

be comprehended within such narrow hmite P The 
history of that kingdom, therefore, has be™ reserved 
^TS^te^^ -tain adso £ 

Edinburgh, 20th November, 1830. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

GENERAL VIEW OF THE NATURAL FEATURES OF AFRICA 

Introductory Observations— Its Situation on the Globe — Extensive De. 
serts— Mountains and Rivers— Vegetable Life— Animal Life — Social 
Aspect— Striking Contrasts which it presents Page 13 

CHAPTER II. 

KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA AMONG THE ANCIENTS. 

Northern Africa well known— Obstacles opposed by the Desert— De- 
scription given by Herodotus— by Diodorus — by Strabo — Ancient Ac- 
counts of the Nile— of Ethiopia— of Abyssinia— Expedition sent by 
Necho — Journey of the Nasamones— Voyage of Sataspes — ofHanno — 
Voyages of Eudoxus— Periplus of the Erythrean Sea 22 

CHAPTER m. 

SETTLEMENTS OF THE ARABS. 

Their Influence on this Continent— Migration into Central Africa- 
Ghana— Tocrur — Kuku— Wangara— Uiil— Eastern Africa— Travels of 
Ibn Batuta — Description by Leo Africanus 40 

CHAPTER IV. 

PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 

Rise of the Spirit of Discovery— Voyages along the Western Coast— The 
Senegal — Prince Bemoy— Discovery of the Congo — Numerous Mis- 
sionaries sent out— Superstitions of the Natives 47 

CHAPTER V. 

EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 

Decline of Portuguese maritime Power— Company formed in England to 
explore the Gambia— Richard Thompson— His Death — Jobson's Voy- 
age up the Gambia — Manners of the Native Africans— Vermuyden— 
Stibbs 57 

CHAPTER VI. 

FRENCH DISCOVERIES. 

French Settlement on the Senegal— Jannequin's Voyage— Voyages of 
Brue up the Senegal— Bambouk ; Gold Mines— Saugnier— Gum- 
trade 6"* 



Till CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VII. 

EARLY PROCEEDINGS OF THE AFRICAN ASSOCIATON. 

Ledyard— -Lucas— Information respecting the Interior— Houghton— His 
Death 77 

CHAPTER VIII. 

park's first journey. 
Park undertakes to explore Africa — Departure — III Treatment at Bon- 
dou and Joag— Kooniakary— Captivity among the Moors— Escape 
— The Niger — Sego — Sansanding — Silla — Obliged to return — Various 
Misfortunes— Distressed State— Finds Relief at Kamalia— Arrival in 
England 83 

CHAPTER IX. 

park's second journey. 
Views under which he was sent out— Departure— Overtaken by the 
Rainy Season — Great Sickness and Distress — Embarks on the Niger- 
Negotiations with the King of Bambarra— Obtains Permission to build 
a Vessel — Sansanding — Sets sail — Accounts of his Death 100 

CHAPTER X. 

VARIOUS travellers. 
Horneman— Nicholls— Roentgen— Adams — Riley 108 

CHAPTER XI. 

GOVERNMENT EXPEDITIONS. 

Great Expedition planned under Tuckey and Peddie — Captain Tuckey 
reaches the Congo— Difficulties encountered — Great Sickness — Disas 
trous Issue — Major Peddie arrives at Kakundy — His Death — Captain 
Campbell advances into the Foulah Territory— Obliged to return— His 
Death— Gray— Laing— Ritchie and Lyon— Death of Ritchie 121 

CHAPTER XII. 

DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

Arrangements with the Court of Tripoli— The Travellers arrive there- 
Journey to Mourzouk — Difficulties — Agreement with Boo Khalloom— 
Departure — The Desert- -Tibboos and Tuaricks — Arrive at the Lake 
Tchad— The Yeou—Kouka— Visit to the Sheik— The Sultan— Descrip- 
tion of Bornou— Denham's Excursion to Mandara — Great Range of 
Mountains— Disastrous Expedition — War against the Mungas — Ex- 
cursion to Loggun — Expedition against the La Salas — Biddoomahs — 
Clapperton's Journey into Houssa— Appearance of that Country — 
Kano— Sackatoo— Sultan Bello— Return of the Travellers 126 

CHAPTER XIII. 

clapperton's second journey, &c. 
Objects of this Journey— Departure from Badagry — Death of Pearcs and 



CONTENTS. IX 

of Morrison— Kingdom of Yarriba— Eyeo— Kiama— Wawa— Boussa— 
Particulars respecting Park— Nyffee— Koolfu— Zaria — Kano — Siege of 
Coonia— Violent Conduct of Sultan Bello— Sickness and Death of 
Clapperton at Sackatoo— His Servant Lander 'returns, partly by a 
new Route— Laing's Expedition— He reaches Timbuctoo— Assassi- 
nated— Caillie undertakes a Journey — Reaches Jenne — Timbuctoo — 
Aroan — The Desert— Arrival at Tangier 17C 

CHAPTER XIV. 

WESTERN AFRICA. 

General View of this Coast — Dahomey; Norris and M'Leod— Foota 
Jallo ; Watt and Winterbottom— Ashantee ; Embassies of Bowdich 
and Dupuis ; War — Adams' Account of Benin and Waree 197 

CHAPTER XV. 

SOUTHERN AND EASTERN AFRICA. 

The Cape— Settlement of the Dutch— Kolben— Hope, Sparrman, Le Vail- 
lant— Barrow ; Caffres ; Bosjesmans— Trutter and Sommerville — Dr. 
Cowan and his Party — Their Assassination— Lichtenstein— Campbell's 
(the Missionary) First and Second Journeys — Burchell— Thompson- 
Invasion of the Mantatees— Zoolas 207 



CHAPTER XVI. 

SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 

Distinction between Native and Foreign Tribes— Natives— Agriculture 
— Manufactures — Trade — Domestic Accommodations — Intellectual 
Character — Superstitions— War and Slavery — Some amiable Fea- 
tures — Forms of Government— Foreign Races — Mohammedan Con- 
verts — European Colonization — Cape of Good Hope — Albany District 
- Sierra Leone 22*7 

CHAPTER XVn. 

GEOLOGY OF AFRICA. 

Form and Situation of Africa— Its great Natural Regions or Divisions.— 
1. Geology of the Atlas or Northern Region — Age of the Atlas Moun- 
tains.— 2. Geology of the Sahara Region— Subterranean Villages near 
Tripoli ; in Spain and France— Tertiary Rocks of Benioleed — Soudan 
or Black Mountains— Petrified Wood in the Desert — Horrid Conse- 
quences of the Slave-trade — Human Skeletons in the Desert — Natron 
and Salt Lakes— Desert of Bilma — Sultan of Fezzan and a Slaves — On 
what Formation does the Sand of the Desert rest ?— Description of a 
Trona or Natron Lake — Fulgurite and native Meteoric Iron in the 
Desert — Observations on the Sand of the Desert— Moving Pillars of 
Sand— Sand-wind— How the prevailing Winds affect the Sand of the 
Desert— What is the Geognostical Age of the Sahara? — 3. Geology 
of the Region to the South of the Sahara, and to the North of the 
Great Table-land — African Gold. — 4. Geology of the Great Table-land 
of Africa— Geology of the Coast from Sierra Leone to Cape Negro — 
Cape of Good Hope District — Distribution of its Chains of Mountains, 
Plains and Valleys, or Kloofs— Description of the Karroo Plains— 



X CONTENTS. 

Geognosy of the Peninsula of the Cape of Good Hope— The Lion's 
Rump — Lion's Head — Table Mountain— Devil's Peak— To what Class 
of Rocks do those of the Cape Peninsula belong?— At wbat Period 
did the Cape Rocks rise above the Level of the Sea 1 — Vegetables in- 
crusted with Calcareous Sand confounded with Coral, and adduced as 
a Proof of the very recent Emergence from the Ocean of the Lands 
supporting them — Geology of the Table-land, properly so called — Ac- 
count of the Sibilo of the Africans— Geological Survey of the Karroo 
Ground recommended— Rivers— South African Lakes — South African 
Springs — Remarks on the Importance of a Knowledge of the Natural! 
History and Chemical Composition of Springs— Geology of Caffraria. 
Natal, &c. — Conclusion 244 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE QUADRUPEDS OF AFRICA. 

Introductory Observations — Orang-outang — Monkeys — Baboons — Le- 
murs — Galagos — Bats — Shrew-mice — Cape Mole — Tenrec — Ratel — 
Otter — Jackals and Wild Dogs— Civets — Lion — Panther and Leopard 
— Lynxes — Squirrels — Marmots — Sand Mole — Gerboa— Rats and Mice 
— Dormice — Porcupines — Hares and Rabbits — Cape Ant-eater— Manis 
—Elephant — Rhinoceros — Ethiopian Hog — Hippopotamus — Zebra — 
Quagga — Camel — Dromedary — Red Deer — Giraffe — Antelopes of vari- 
ous kinds— Gnu — Cape Buffalo— Egyptian Goat and Sheep 290 

CHAPTER XIX. 

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BIRDS OF AFRICA. 

Introductory Observations — Vultures — Serpent-eater — Eagles — Hawks 
— Owls— Butcher-birds— Thrushes— Buntings— Colius— Beef-eaters— 
Rollers — Goat-suckers — Swallows — Hoopoes — Promerops — Creepers 
— Bee-eater — Kingfishers — Hornbills — Woodpeckers — Cuckoos — Ho- 
ney-guide— Parrots— Pogonias— Trogon — Musophaga— Touraco —Pi- 
geons — Guinea Fowls — Quails— Partridges, &c. — Ostrich— Bustards 
— Balearic Cranes— Flamingo — Gigantic Stork — Umber — Snipe and 
Woodcock — Sandpiper — Courier — Plover — Penguin — Pelican — Plotus 
— Tern — Gull — Albatross — Cape Petrel — Spur-winged Goose — Moun- 
tain Goose— Egyptian Goose — Sheldrake— Musk-duck 323 

CHAPTER XX. 

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE REPTILES, FISHES, SHELLS, INSECTS, &C. 
OF AFRICA. 

Introductory Observations — Crocodiles — Lizards — Chameleon — Ser- 
pents — Frogs— General Observations on Fishes — Muraena — Gobius — 
Coftus — Scorpaena— Zeus— Remora— Labrus — Mackarel — Surmullet 
— Flying Gurnard— Electric Silure— Salmon— Polypterus — Argentine 
— Flying-fish — Polyneme— African Herring — Carp — Mormyrus— Ray 
— Ostracion— Tetrodon— Pipe-fish— Fossil Fish — General Observa- 
tions on Shells — Various African Species— Remarks on the Distribution 
of Insects — Goliathus, &c. — Paussus— Mantis — Locusts — Butterfly 
Tribe — Bees — Scorpions — Centipedes — Zoophytes — Coral — Sponge — 
Guinea Worm 342 



ENGRAVINGS. 



Map of Africa To face the Titlepags, 

Vignette — Caravan in the Desert. 

Group of Figures — Chief, Jillemen or Native Musicians, and Gree- 

gree Man or Magician Page 63 

Female Negro Dancer 77 

Park's Routes . 82 

Tuarick on his Camel, with Male and Female Tibboo 134 

Denham and Clapperton's Routes 137 

Sultan of Bornou 142 

Fishing in the River Yeou 145 

Bornou Horseman, Kanemboo Spearman, and Munga Bowman 157 

Timbuctoo according to Caillie . 195 

Ashantee Warrior and Attendant 202 

Queen of Lattakoo, Lattakoo Warrior, and two Bosjesman Hotten- 
tots 225 

Negroes preparing the Manioc Root 230 

Negro Palaver-house 232 

Group of African Animals — In front, in the centre, the Rhinoceros ; 
—to the right, the Hippopotamus and Orang-outang. In the centre 
background, the Giraffe ;— to the left, Antelopes and Zebra 290 



DISCOVERY AND ADVENTURE 

IN 

AFRICA. 



CHAPTER I. 

General View of the Natural Features of Africa* 

Before following the caTeer of adventure and discovery 
in Africa, and viewing its kingdoms and regions under their 
varied aspects, it may be interesting to take a rapid survey 
of this continent in its original state, as it came from the 
hands of nature. Though immense, and abounding even 
with the most striking and surprising contrasts, yet, on a 
general view, a certain uniformity, approaching almost to 
monotony, appears to pervade it. From one end to the 
other, dreary wastes of almost boundless extent are spread 
over its surface, alternating with bright intervals of the 
most luxuriant vegetation. These arid tracts also have 
their borders embellished by shrubs and flowers tinted with 
the most brilliant hues ; while a profusion of animal life in 
all its forms distinguishes the more temperate latitudes. 

Africa, considered in relation to her place on the map, 
forms an extensive continent, situated nearly in the centre 
of the earth, and obstructing the great highway across the 
ocean. Her coasts form the chief barrier to a direct mari- 
time intercourse between the distant extremities of the 
globe. To perform the vast circuit of her shores, and to 
round her stormy capes, has tried the courage and hardi- 
hood of the greatest navigators. Could Africa cease to 
exist, great facilities would be afforded to the communica- 
tion between the other continents, and many new chan- 
nels of commerce would be opened up. As she, however, 
8 



14 NATURAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. 

has an existence likely to he coeval with theirs, our concern 
is with her actual condition, presenting as it does many pe- 
culiar claims to interest in the eyes of the philosopher and 
politician. 

The physical peculiarities which distinguish Africa seem 
to depend chiefly on the circumstance that almost her whole 
territory is situated within the tropics. The other portions 
of the earth's surface which lie directly beneath the solar 
influence consist generally either of sea, or of narrow and 
insular lands, refreshed by breezes from the ocean. Bat 
the greatest breadth of Africa is under the immediate power 
and dominion of the sun ; and most of her people see that 
great planet, in its annual progress from tropic to tropic, 
pass twice over their heads, and thus experience a repeti- 
tion of its most intense and perpendicular rays. The high- 
est blessings of this sublunary world, when carried beyond 
a certain limit, become its deadliest bane. That parent 
orb, which cheers and illumines the rest of the earth, glares 
on Africa with oppressive and malignant beam, blasting the 
face of nature, and covering her with barrenness and deso- 
lation. Sometimes it converts the soil into a naked desert, 
sometimes overspreads it with a noxious excess of animal 
and vegetable life. The soil, when not watered by copious 
rains or river inundations, is scorched and dried up till it 
is converted into a dreary waste. Hence it is, that in Af- 
rica plains of sand form a feature so truly alarming. The 
Great Desert, with the exception of the narrow valley of 
the Nile, reaches across the entire continent, exhibiting an 
expanse of burning surface, where for many days the tra- 
veller finds not a drop of water, nor sees the least vestige 
of animal or vegetable nature. He pursues his dreary 
route amid loose hills, continually shifting, and leaving no- 
marks to guide his course. Every breeze is filled with 
dust, which enters the mouth and nostrils, and penetrates 
between the clothes and skin. Sometimes it drives along 
in clouds and whirlwinds, beneath which it was once thought 
that caravans and even armies had been buried ; but it is 
now ascertained that the numerous bones which whiten 
the desert are merely those of travellers who have sunk 
under famine, thirst, and fatigue ; and that the sand, which 
continually blows, has accumulated above them. Travel- 
lers over these tracts of shingle have been impressed with 



.NATURAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. 15 

the idea of their being the bed of an ancient ocean. This 
is not the place to enter into a speculation on the formation 
of the earth. That every part of its surface lay once be- 
neath the waters is sufficiently apparent ; but there is at 
least no historical proof that Africa emerged later than 
other continents. The earliest records represent her deserts 
to have been as extensive as they are in our days, and to 
have pressed equally close upon the cultivated belt along 
the northern coast, In general, all regions between the 
tropics, when not copiously watered, moulder into sand, al- 
ternating with a hard and impenetrable stratum of clay. 
The central wastes of Asia, those of Arabia and of Sindetic 
Hindostan, though inferior to those of Africa, are yet of si- 
milar character, and of immense extent. 

In order to obviate the extreme effects of the tropical sun, 
which produces a desolation so dreadful, Nature has pro- 
vided suitable remedies. Every country under this latitude 
has its rainy season, when, amid the blaze of lightnings and 
the noise of thunders rending the sky, heaven seems to open 
all her windows to pour an unbroken flood upon the earth. 
The ground is covered as with a deluge", and the dry beds 
of the rivulets are converted into torrents ; yet so intense 
are the sun's rays, that the moisture thus lavished upon the 
surface is quickly dried up. Great rivers, which, swollen 
by the rains, overflow their banks and lay the surrounding 
country under water, or at least afford the means of artifi- 
cial inundation, are the principal source of that luxuriant 
fertility, that mighty growth of vegetable forms, which sin- 
gularly characterize the tropical climates. It is to the 
W!> ^s which descend from the lofty precipices and eternal 
snows of the Himmaleh, that the plains of Hindostan and 
China owe their amazing fruitfulness. Africa, too, has 
elevated mountain-chains, which give rise to several rivers 
of great magnitude and most fertilizing influence. Atlas, 
along its northern border, presents even in so hot a climate 
pinnacles wrapped in everlasting snow. Still more extensive 
is that central range, which, amid its various local names, 
is most generally known under the poetical appellation of 
"The Mountains of the Moon." Yet these chains, besides 
being not altogether so gigantic as those of the other con- 
tinents, labour under the peculiar disadvantage of extend- 
ing across the breadth only of Africa. The Andes and the 



16 NATURAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. 

Himmaleh, those stupendous heights of America and Asia, 
as they traverse these continents in the direction of their 
length, cover a much greater surface, and thus create ferti- 
lity in the more limited plains which intervene between the 
mountains and the ocean. But the largest of the African 
rivers, directing their course through a vast extent of low 
land, reach the sea only by a very circuitous course. Se- 
veral of them, too, diffusing their waters into lakes or 
marshes, expire in the very heart of the continent. The 
result is, that the enormous breadth of the Sahara, or Great 
Desert, is scarcely irrigated even by a streamlet. It depends 
entirely on the periodical rains ; and these sink into the 
sandy and porous surface, till being arrested at the depth of 
eight or ten feet, they form that " sea underground" which 
has been traced over a large portion of the waste. 

Vegetable life, in consequence of this absence of mois- 
ture, is scantily diffused over a great extent of the conti- 
nent. In the heart of the mountains, however, and in the 
kingdoms along their border, the soil is most profusely wa- 
tered, and, under the influence of a tropical sun, produces, 
perhaps, beyond any other part of the world, that luxuriant 
growth and those gigantic vegetable forms, which distin- 
guish the equatorial regions. The baobab, or great cala- 
bash, appears to be the most enormous tree on the face of 
the earth. Adanson assures us, that the circumference in 
some cases is equal to thirteen fathoms, as measured by 
his arms clasped round the trunk, that is, varying from 
seventy-four to seventy-seven feet. Branches extending 
horizontally from the trunk, each equal to a large tree, make 
the baobab a forest as it were in itself. The mangrove, 
too, which rises on the borders of rivers, or inundated spots, 
diffuses itself in a manner truly remarkable. The branches, 
dropping down upon the watery bank, strike root and grow ; 
hence the original plant, spreading farther and farther, 
forms over the stream a species of natural arcade. These 
mighty trees do not stand alone, but have their interstices 
filled up by numberless shrubs, canes, creeping and pa- 
rasitical plants, which intersect and entwine with each 
other till they form a thick and impenetrable mass of un- 
derwood. To cut even a narrow path through these dense 
forests is a laborious process ; and as shoots are continually 
protruding inwards on each side, the track, without constant 



NATURAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. 17 

travelling, and the diligent use of the axe, soon becomes 
impassable. 

As we approach the confines of the Desert these giants 
of the wood disappear, and vegetation presents a different 
and more pleasing aspect. It exhibits now the light and 
gay form of. the acacia, whole forests of which rise amid 
the sand, distilling those rich gums that afford an important 
material of African commerce. The lotus > a celebrated and 
classical shrub, the tamarisk, and other small and elegant 
trees, afford agreeable and nutritive berries, which constitute 
the food of several nations. Various flowering shrubs of 
the most delicate tints, rising in wild and spontaneous beau- 
ty, embellish the precincts of the waste. Thus the Desert, 
in its first approaches, and before vegetable life begins to ex- 
pire, does not assume its sternest character, but wears even 
a peculiarly pleasing and smiling aspect. 

The animal world* in Africa changes equally its nature 
as it pass-es from one to another of these opposite regions. 
In those plains which are inundated by the great rivers, it 
multiplies at an extraordinary rate, and often assumes huge 
and repulsive forms. Throughout all this continent the wild 
tribes exist in large and formidable numbers, and there is 
scarcely a tract which they do not either hold in fall posses- 
sion, or fiercely dispute with man. Even the most densely- 
peopled countries border on wide forests and wastes, whose 
savage tenants find their prey occasionally in man himself, 
as well as in the domestic animals which surround him; 
and when the scent of human slaughter is wafted on the 
breeze, bands of hungry monsters hasten from every side to 
the feast of blood. These ferocious creatures hold, indeed, 
so commanding a position, that the colonist scarcely makes 
any attempt to extirpate them, or even to keep down their 
numbers. He wages against them only a defensive war, 
and employs his courage and skill chiefly in hunting the ele- 
phant, the antelope, and other peaceful species, by whose 
spoil he may be enriched. 

The lion, that king of the desert, that mightiest among 
the tribes which have the wilderness for their abode, abounds 
in Africa, and causes all her forests to re-echo his midnight 

* In the present chapter we allude only to a few of the more conspi- 
cuous and peculiar characteristics of African zoology. The subject is 
treated of at greater length in a subsequent part of this volume. 
B2 



18 NATURAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. 

roar. Yet both, his courage and fierceness have, it is said, 
been overrated; and the man who can undauntedly face 
him, or evade his first dreadful spring, rarely falls his victim. 
Wider ravages are committed by the hyena, not the strong- 
est, but the most ferocious and untameable of all the beasts 
of prey. These creatures, by moving in numerous bands, 
achieve what is beyond the single strength of the greater 
animals ; they burst with mighty inroad into the cities, and 
have even carried by storm fortified enclosures. The ele- 
phant roams in vast herds through the densely-wooded 
tracts of the interior, disputing with the lion the rank of 
king of the lower creation ; matchless in bulk and strength, 
yet tranquil, majestic, peaceful, led in troops under the 
guidance of the most ancient of the number, having a social 
and almost moral existence. He attacks neither man nor 
beast. The human being is more frequently the aggressor, 
not only with the view of protecting the fruits of the earth, 
but also in order to obtain the bony substance composing 
his tusks, which, under the name of ivory, forms one of the 
most valued articles of African trade. The prodigious 
strength of the elephant, his almost impenetrable hide, his 
rapid though unwieldy movements, render him a most peril- 
ous object of attack, even to the boldest hunters ; so that 
pits and snares of various kinds are the usual modes by 
which his capture is effected. Instead of the tiger, Africa 
has the leopard and the panther ; belonging, however, only 
to certain of its districts. 

In the large and broad rivers of Africa, and through the 
immense forests which overshadow them, a race of amphi- 
bious animals of monstrous form and size display their un- 
wieldy figures. The rhinoceros, though not strictly amphi- 
bious, slowly traverses marshes and swampy grounds, and 
almost equals the elephant in strength and defensive pow- 
ers, but wants his stature, his dignity, and his wisdom. 
The single or double horn with which he defends himself is 
an article of commerce in the East, though not valued in 
Europe. A still huger shape is that of the hippopotamus, 
or river-horse, fitted alike to stalk on land, to march along 
the bottom of the waters, or to swim on their surface. He 
is slow, ponderous, gentle ; yet when annoyed, either by de- 
sign or accident, his wrath is terrible ; he rushes up from 
his watery retreat, and by merely striking with his enor- 



NATURAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. 19 

mous tusks, can overset or sink a loaded canoe. But the 
most dreaded of ail the inhabitants of the African rivers is 
the crocodile, the largest and fiercest of the lizard tribe. He 
lies like a log upon the waters watching for his prey, at- 
tacking men, and even the strongest animals, which, how- 
ever, engage with him in obstinate and deadly encounters. 

We have not yet done with all the monstrous and prodi- 
gious forms which Africa generates. She swarms with the 
serpent brood, which spread terror, some by their deadly 
poison, others by their mere bulk and strength. In this last 
respect the African serpents have struck the world with 
amazement ; ancient history records that whole provinces 
were overrun by them, and that one, after disputing the 
passage of a river with a Roman army, was destroyed only 
by the use of a battering engine. 

Emerging from these dank regions, where the earth, un- 
der the united influence of heat and moisture, teems with 
such a noxious superabundance of life, we approach the 
Desert. Here a change takes place equally singular and 
pleasing as in the vegetable world. Only light, airy, and 
fantastic forms trip along the sandy border ; creatures in- 
nocent, gentle, and beautiful, — the antelope of twenty dif- 
ferent species, all swift, with bright eyes, erect, and usually 
elegant figures, preying neither on men nor animals, but 
pursued by all on account of the delicate food which they 
afford. Here, too, roams the zebra, with its finely-striped 
skin wrapped around it like a robe of rich cloth ; and the 
camelopard, the tallest and most remarkable of animal 
forms, with its long fore-legs and high-stretching neck of 
singular and fantastic beauty, crops the leaves of the African 
forest. Though a rare species, he is seen occasionally 
straying over a great proportion of that continent. 

Nature, sporting as it would seem in the production of 
extraordinary objects, has filled Africa with a wonderful 
multitude of those animals which bear the closest alliance 
to " the human form divine." The orang-outang appears to 
constitute the link between man and the lower orders of 
living things. Standing erect, without a ftil, with flat 
face, and arms of not greatly disproportioned length, it 
displays in every particular a deformed resemblance to the 
lord of the creation. It seems even to make a nearer ap- 
proach than any other animal to the exercise of reason. It 



20 NATURAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. 

has been taught to make its own bed, to sit at table, to eat 
with a knife and fork, and to pour out tea. M. Degrandpre" 
mentions one kept on board a French vessel, which lighted 
and kept the oven at a due temperature, put in the bread at 
a given signal, and even assisted in drawing the ropes. 
There was a strong suspicion among the sailors that it 
would have spoken, but for the fear of being put to 
harder work. The baboons, again, are a large, shapeless, 
brutal species, ugly and disgusting in their appearance, yet 
not without some kind of union and polity. The monkey 
tribe, now familiar in Europe, and attracting attention by 
their playful movements, fill with sportive cries all the fo- 
rests of tropical Africa. 

The insect race, which in our climate is generally harm- 
less, presents here many singular and even formidable cha- 
racteristics. The flying tribes, in particular, through the 
action of the sun on the swampy forests, rise up in terrible 
and destructive numbers. They fill the air and darken the 
sky ; they annihilate the labour of nations ; they drive even 
armies before them. The locust, when its bands issue in 
close and dark array from the depths of the Desert, commits 
ravages surpassing those of the most ferocious wild beasts, 
or even the more desolating career of human warfare. In 
vain do the despairing inhabitants seek with fire and other 
means to arrest their progress ; the dense and irresistible 
mass continues to move onward, and soon baffles every at- 
tempt to check its course. Whole provinces, which at 
at their entrance are covered with rich harvests and brilliant 
verdure, are left without a leaf or a blade. Even when 
destroyed by famine or tempest, they cover immense tracts, 
exhaling the most noxious stench. Yet they may be used 
as food, and are even relished by certain native tribes. 
The mosquito and its allies do not spread such a fearful de- 
solation ; yet by their poisoned and tormenting stings they 
render life miserable, and not very unfrequently lead to its 
extinction. Even a swarm of wild bees, in the solitary 
woods of Western Africa, has put a whole caravan to flight, 
wounding severely some of its members. But perhaps the 
most extraordinary of all the insect races are the termites, 
or white ants, which display on a greater scale the arts 
and social organization for which their species have been 
so famed in Europe. They cover the plains with their 



NATURAL FEATURES OF AFRICA. 21 

conical huts from ten to twelve feet in height ; they are 
regularly distributed into labourers and soldiers, with others 
holding the rank of king and queen. This latter person- 
age, when she is about to add to the numbers of the tribe, 
presents a most extraordinary spectacle, being then swelled 
to many times the amount of her natural dimensions ; and 
when the critical period arrives, instead of a progeny of two 
or three, she produces as many thousands. These ants 
are far from being of the same harmless description as the 
corresponding insects of this quarter of the world. On 
finding their way into a house, they devour every thing, 
clothes, furniture, food, not even it is said sparing the in- 
mates, who are compelled to make a speedy retreat. 

Such are the evils to which the people of this continent 
are perpetually exposed from the lower creation; and yet 
they experience in full force the truth of the pathetic la- 
mentation of the poet, that "man is to man the surest, 
deadliest foe." Africa from the earliest ages has been the 
most conspicuous theatre of crime and of wrong; where 
social life has lost the traces of primitive simplicity, with- 
out rising to order, principle, or refinement ; where fraud 
and violence are formed into national systems, and man 
trembles at the sight of his fellow-man. For centuries this 
continent has seen thousands of her unfortunate children 
dragged in chains over its deserts and across the ocean, to 
spend their lives in foreign and distant bondage. Supersti- 
tion, tyranny, anarchy, and the opposing interests of num- 
berless petty states, maintain a constant and destructive 
warfare in this suffering portion of the earth. 

Nevertheless, compelled as we have thus been to describe 
the ills of Africa, we should err very widely did we repre- 
sent her as pervaded by one deep monotonous gloom. 
Throughout the picture there are bright lights interspersed, 
which shine more conspicuously from the vast blanks and 
deep shadows with which they are surrounded. In the 
heart of the most dreary and sandy wastes, there emerges 
many a little oasis, or verdant islet, which to the wanderer 
of the desert appears almost an earthly paradise. These 
spots have been painted in colours that belong not to the 
imperfect abodes of earth; as gardens of the gods, fairy- 
seats, islands destined to be the future mansions of the 
blessed. In like manner, in the bosom of its wildest woods 



22 ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 

and mountains, there lurk, in many an unsuspected retreat^ 
scenes of the most soft and pastoral beauty. Even amid 
its moral darkness there shine forth virtues which wou,ld 
do honour to human society in its most refined and exalted 
state. A tender flow of domestic affection generally per- 
vades African society. Signal displays, too, have been 
made of the most generous hospitality; and travellers, 
who were on the point of perishing, have been befriended 
and saved by absolute strangers, and even by enemies. 
These varieties of nature and of character, these alterna- 
tions of wildness and of beauty, of lawless violence and of 
the most generous kindness, render the progress of the tra- 
veller through this continent more interesting and eventful, 
more diversified by striking scenes and incidents than in 
any other quarter of the globe. 



CHAPTER II. 

On the Knowledge of Africa among the Ancients. 

Africa, so far as it extends along the Mediterranean, 
was not only well known to the nations of antiquity, but 
constituted an integral part of their political and social sys- 
tem. This coast forms, indeed, only a comparatively small 
portion of that great continent ; but while the sphere of 
civilization and the geographical knowledge of the Greeks 
were nearly comprised within the circuit of the Mediterra- 
nean shores, Northern Africa held in their view no incon- 
siderable importance. This region, which is now covered 
with thick darkness, and left so far behind in all the arts 
and attainments which exalt and adorn human nature, had 
at that early period taken the lead in these very particulars 
of all other nations. It included Egypt and Carthage, 
which, as the first seats of government and commerce, were 
the admiration of the ancient world. In the patriarchal 
ages, when Scripture history represents the Mesopotamian 
Plain, the scene of the future empires of Babylon and As- 
syria, as little more than a wide and open common, Egypt 




ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 23 

appears regularly organized, and forming a great and pow- 
erful kingdom ; and wh^n Greece was under the tumultuary 
sway of a multitude of petty chieftains, Homer already 
celebrates the hundred gates of Thebes, and the mighty 
hosts which in warlike array issued from them to battle. 
Egypt was illustrious also among the ancients as producing 
the first elements of learning and abstract science, — the 
first approach to alphabetical writing by hieroglyphic em- 
blems, — the first great works in sculpture, painting, and 
architecture ; and travellers even now find that country co- 
vered with magnificent monuments, erected at an era when 
the faintest dawn of science had not yet illumined the re- 
gions of Europe. While Egypt was thus pre-eminent in 
science and art, Carthage equally excelled in commerce and 
in the wealth which it produces ; by means of which she 
rose to such a degree of power as enabled her to hold long 
suspended between herself and Rome the scales of univer- 
sal empire. In that grand struggle Carthage sunk amid a 
blaze of expiring glory ; while Egypt, after having passed 
through many ages of alternate splendour and slavery, was 
also at length included in the extended dominion of Rome 
Yet, though all Mediterranean Africa thus merged into a 
province of the Roman world, it was still an opulent and 
enlightened one ; boasting equally with others its sages, its 
saints, its heads and fathers of the church ; and exhibiting 
Alexandria and Carthage on a footing with the greatest 
cities of the empire. 

While, however, the region along the Nile and the Me- 
diterranean was thus not only well known, but formed a 
regular part of the ancient civilized world, the progress of 
science did not extend beyond the tract bordering on the 
coast and the river. After proceeding a few journeys into 
the interior, the traveller found himself among wild and 
wandering tribes, who exhibited human nature under its 
rudest and most repulsive forms. On his advancing some 
what farther still, there appeared a barrier vast and awful 
— endless plains of moving sand, without a shrub, a blade 
of grass, or a single object by which human life could be 
cheered or supported. This appalling boundary, which 
stopped the victorious career of Cambyses and of Alexan- 
der, arrested much more easily every attempt at civilization 
and settlement. It secured to the wild and roaming tribes 



24 ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 

of the Desert the undisturbed possession of those insulated 
spots of verdure, which were scattered at intervals amid the 
desolation of the interior waste. 

Meantime, although these causes prevented the civiliza- 
tion, and even the knowledge of the ancients, from ever 
penetrating deeply beyond the Mediterranean border, yet 
between it and the measureless Desert there intervened a 
wide tract of alternate rock, valley, and plain, presenting a 
varied, and often a picturesque landscape. This region, 
intermediate between the known and the unknown, between 
civilized and savage existence, excited in a somewhat pecu- 
liar degree the curiosity of the ancients ; to whom, how- 
ever, it always appeared dimly as through a cloud, and 
tinged with a certain fabulous and poetical colouring. 

Herodotus, the earliest and most interesting of Greek 
historians, when endeavouring to collect information respect- 
ing the whole of the known world, was obliged, in the ab- 
sence of written records, to have recourse to travelling ; and 
his narrative is almost entirely the record of what he saw 
and heard during his various peregrinations. By means of 
a long stay in Egypt, and an intimate communication with 
the native priests, he learned much that was accurate, as 
well as somewhat that was incorrect and exaggerated, re- 
specting the wide region which extends from the Nile to the 
Atlantic. He justly describes it as much inferior in ferti- 
lity to the cultivated parts of Europe and Asia, and suffer- 
ing severely from drought ; yet there were a few spots, as 
Cinyps and the high tracts of Cyrene, which being finely 
irrigated, might stand a comparison with the richest portions 
of the globe. Generally, however, in quitting the northern 
coast, which he terms the forehead of Africa, the country 
became more and more arid. Hills of salt arose, out of 
which the natives constructed their houses, without any 
fear of their melting beneath a shower, in a region where 
rain was unknown. The land became almost a desert, and 
was filled with such multitudes of wild beasts, as to be con- 
sidered their proper inheritance, and scarcely disputed with 
them by the human race. Farther to the south, the soil no 
longer afforded food even to these wild tenants ; there was 
not the trunk of a tree nor a drop of water ; total silence 
and desolation reigned. Such is the general picture which 
Herodotus draws of this northern boundary of the great 



ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 25 

African desert, which must be acknowledged to be at once 
accurate and just. 

In the tract westward from Egypt, behind the great "Af- 
rican forehead," the first object was the celebrated and 
sacred shrine of Ammon, dedicated to the Theban Jove, 
and to which the Greeks ascribed a higher prophetic power 
than even to their own Delphic Oracle. This temple, situ- 
ated in the midst of almost inaccessible deserts, was distin- 
guished for a fountain, which, warm at midnight, became 
always colder and coldt>r till noon. Ten days' journey be- 
yond Ammon lay -^Egila, occupied by the Nasamones, a 
numerous people, who in winter fed their flocks on the •sea- 
coast, and in summer repaired to collect and store up the 
dates here growing on extensive forests of palm-trees. To 
this people are ascribed various singular customs, among 
which was their mode of foreseeing the future by laying 
themselves to sleep on the tombs of their ancestors, watch- 
ing the dreams which arose in this position, and treasuring 
them up as oracles. Bordering upon them had formerly 
been the Psylli, famous for the charming of serpents, an art 
not yet wholly lost in this region ; but that tribe, suffering 
once under a severe drought, had been so ill informed as to 
proceed southward in hope of finding water, where, being 
involved in those vast and burning deserts, they entirely 
perished, and their place was taken by the Nasamones. 
Beyond them, the Macae inhabited a beautiful region wa- 
tered by the river Cinyps, on whose bank rose " the hill of 
the Graces," covered with a profusion of the finest foliage. 
Such is still the gay and brilliant aspect which the neigh- 
bourhood of Bengazi presents. To the south of the Na- 
samones, in a region almost resigned to wild beasts, the 
Garamantes inhabited an extensive valley, now called Fez- 
zan. They are represented under characters of which the 
present natives retain no trace, — as a solitary and timid 
people, shunning the intercourse and society of men, desti- 
tute of arms, and not even attempting to defend themselves 
against foreign aggression. 

After the Gindanes and the Lotophagi, who ate the lotus 
and made wine from its fruit, came the Machlyes and the 
Auses, dwelling round the lake of Tritonis ; the scene of 
the reported birth and oracle of Minerva, with which were 
connected many celebrated fables of ancient mythology. It 
C 



26 ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA, 

is with reluctance that reference is here made to what the 
venerable father of history has related respecting the con- 
duct of the young ladies in this region ; and we should 
hope that scandal on this subject may have been as busy 
in the coteries of Sais and of On, as in some modern cir- 
cles. Can it be believed, that among the Gindanes they 
should form threads of skin, and tie a knot on it for every 
lover who had sought and won their favour, measuring their 
importance by the number of these knots ; or is it probable 
that, at the marriage of the Nasamones, the favour of the 
bride should have been shared by all the guests equally with 
the husband] Nor is there much to admire in the annual 
festival celebrated by the virgins of the Auses, when their 
fair hands were employed in throwing stones against each 
other with such fury, that several were commonly left dead 
on the spot. The fate of these sufferers was peculiarly 
hard, since it was supposed to justify the most unfavour- 
able suspicions respecting their previous life. After all, 
this rough sport of the Libyan belles is not much ruder 
than one which we shall find still practised among the most 
distinguished dames of Bornou. 

Proceeding farther westward, Herodotus finds a tribe of 
the Auses, called Maxyes, who cultivated the ground ; and 
he is now on the border of the Carthaginian territory, of 
which, for reasons that Major Rennel cannot fully compre- 
hend, he forbears to treat. He follows the direction of the 
interior, from the Garamantes, beyond whom were Ethio- 
pians dwelling in caves, and running so swiftly that the 
former people were obliged to hunt them in chariots, — a 
proceeding very unsuitable to the meek character elsewhere 
ascribed to them, and which, we fear, may have been prac- 
tised with the evil intent of carrying off these poor victims 
as slaves. Our author comes next to the Atlantes, and re- 
lates several things which with better knowledge he would 
probably have omitted. He pretends, for example, that 
none of them bear proper names ; that they neither eat ani- 
mal food nor dream dreams ; and, what is not quite so im- 
probable, that on seeing the sun rise, they pour repioaches 
and execrations en him for the manner in which he burns 
and destroys their land. Behind them rises the long and 
lofty range of Atlas, whose head is said to remain for ever 
invisible and wrapped in clouds, and which the natives believe 



ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 27 

to be the pillar of heaven, — a creed adopted, or perhaps 
invented, by the Greeks and Romans. Herodotus here 
stops, frankly owning that his information did not enable 
him to go farther. The only other accounts which had 
reached him respected a nation beyond the Pillars of Her- 
cules, with whom the Carthaginians carried on trade in a 
very peculiar manner. This wild and timid race would 
not approach or hold parley with the strangers, who, on 
drawing near to the shore, kindled a fire, uttered loud cries, 
and laid on the sand a certain quantity of goods. The na- 
tives, hearing them, and seeing the smoke, came down, sur- 
veyed the deposite, placed beside it a certain portion of gold, 
the precious article of their traffic, and withdrew. The Car- 
thaginians approached to examine the tender thus made, 
and, according to their estimate of its value, either carried 
away the gold or left the whole untouched ; in which last 
case, the natives understood that more of the precious metal 
was expected. Thus the parties went backwards and for- 
wards till the exchange was adjusted. 

If the accounts given by Herodotus of this western region 
be tinctured with fable, the narrative of Diodorus shows 
still more that the ancients had made it one of the grand 
theatres of their mythology. To it they refer the ancient; 
and early reign of Saturn, under the appellation of Ouranus, 
or Heaven ; the birth of Jupiter, and his nursing by Amal- 
thsea ; the impious race of the Titans, and their wars with 
the sky ; Cybele, with her doting love for Atys, and frantic 
grief for his fate. Diodorus represents the Atlantic people 
as claiming these objects for themselves ; but it seems much 
more probable that the warm imagination of the Greeks, 
attracted by the mysterious grandeur of the region, trans- 
ported thither the creations of their own fancy. Our au- 
thor, however, makes a positive averment as to the exist- 
ence of a race of Amazons there, still more warlike and 
formidable than those on the banks of the Thennodon. 
They did not, like these last, positively exterminate or expel 
the male sex from their confines ; but, reserving to them- 
selves all the high cares of war and government, employed 
their lords in keeping the house, tending the children, and 
performing all the functions which are elsewhere exclu- 
sively assigned to females. As soon as the wife had gono 
through the necessary trouble of bearing a child, she handed 



28 ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 

it to the husband to be nursed, and immediately resumed 
her own high and arduous occupations. These gallant vi- 
ragoes, it is said, not only ravaged all this part of Africa, 
but passed the Isthmus of Suez, and carried their victorious 
arms into Syria and Asia Minor. What foundation there 
may be in fact for this story of the Western Amazons, it is 
not easy to conjecture; but the Tuaricks, a numerous na- 
tive race still found in those regions, treat their females 
with greater respect and allow them more liberty than is 
usually granted among their neighbours. These were not 
the only fierce and warlike females who spread terror through 
Africa. Diodorus places here the Gorgons, who caused 
death by the mere hideousness of their aspect, and the ser- 
pents hissing in the hair of Medusa. Yet, amid all these 
terrible fables, he gives a just description of the back settle- 
ments of Northern Africa ; representing them as thinly in- 
habited by wandering tribes, as bounded by an extensive 
uniform plain resembling the ocean, covered with piles of 
sand of which the termination was unknown, and which, 
instead of any object that could cheer the eye or refresh the 
senses, swarmed with serpents of huge form and magni- 
tude, that inflicted instant death on the unwary traveller. 
These reptiles were even reported to have once invaded 
Egypt, and driven before them a crowd of its terrified inha- 
bitants. 

Strabo, who wrote after the Roman sway was fully esta- 
bhsked over Africa, gives a much more sober report of its 
western regions. Extending his view beyond the Atlas, 
he describes the Mauri, peopling a rich territory on the At- 
lantic coast capable of yielding the most copious harvests ; 
but nothing could wean the nation from the wandering life 
in which they delighted, moving continually with their tents 
from place to place, wrapped in the skins of wild beasts, riding 
without saddle, and often without bridle, on small, swift, ac- 
tive horses. He represents them as fighting with sword and 
spear, not with the poisoned arrows imputed to them by Ho- 
race, which, however, are really used at present in Central 
Africa. Eastward, around Carthage, he finds the Massae- 
syli, who followed once the same wandering life, and were 
called Nomades or Numidians ; but Masinissa had already 
inured them to the practice of agriculture, and to some of 
the refinements of polished life. Carthage at its first sub- 



ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 29 

jection was razed to the ground and left long desolate ; but 
the Romans, at length attracted by the view of the fine re- 
gion which surrounds it, sent thither a colony, who soon 
elevated it to its former rank as the greatest city of Africa. 

Another territory, of which the ancients had considerable 
knowledge, was that which extended upwards along the 
Nile, the immediate borders of which have always been not 
only habitable but fertile. Nothing astonished them more 
than to see this great river, which, after flowing through a 
region where there did not fall a drop of Tain, and where it 
was not fed by a single rivulet, began to swell at a certain 
season, rose always higher and higher, till at length it over- 
flowed its banks, and spread like a sea over Lower Egypt. 
Some of the hypotheses formed to account for this inunda- 
tion deserve to be noticed. The most prevalent opinion 
ascribed it to the Etesian winds blowing from the north pe- 
riodically, and so violently, that the waters of the Nile, 
thereby prevented from reaching the sea, necessarily spread 
over the land ; but Diodorus clearly shows, besides the rea- 
son being itself insufficient, that there was no correspond- 
ence in the periods ; observing also, that the Etesian winds 
blew up many other rivers without producing this effect. 
The philosophers of Memphis, it seems, followed even by 
Mela, the great Latin geographer, surmised that the un- 
known and inaccessible fountains of the Nile lay on the 
opposite side of the globe, where during our summer it was 
winter ; consequently, the greatest rains then fell, and the 
swollen waters, flowing across the whole breadth of the 
torrid zone, acquired that soft and mellow taste which made 
them so agreeable. But the most singular hypothesis is 
that of Ephorus, who thought that Egypt is full of gaps 
or chinks which m winter absorb the water, but sweat it out 
under the influence of the summer heat. Diodorus takes 
superfluous pains to show that this theory, so absurd in it- 
self, had no correspondence with the facts of the case. The 
real cause, arising from the rains which fall on the high 
mountains in the interior and tropical regions, was men- 
tioned and .strongly supported by Agatharchides, who wrote 
a learned work on the Red Sea ; which, however, was far 
from attaining the favourable reception that it merited. 

The name of Ethiopia was very generally applied by the 
ancients to the south of Africa, and even of Arabia, and 
C2 



30 ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 

generally to all countries inhabited by black people. The 
region, however, which extends for several hundred miles 
along the Nile above Egypt, formed the ancient Ethiopia, 
a sacred realm, in which the priests placed the most revered 
objects of their mythology. Here Jove repaired to hold his 
annual festival ; and here was spread the table of the sun, 
which, when exposed to the rays of that great luminary, 
was believed of its own accord to take fire and be consumed. 
Hence, according to some, Egypt derived all the sciences 
and arts which rendered her illustrious in that early age. 
Diodorus even asserts that the learned language of Egypt 
was the same spoken by the vulgar in Ethiopia ; but we 
should much rather believe with Herodotus, that the latter 
country derived from Egypt all which she possessed of art 
and civilization. The sovereigns of Ethiopia are said to 
have received a wild and peculiar homage, in being attended 
to the tomb by a number of their wives, courtiers, and ser- 
vants, all eagerly canvassing for this honour,— -a practice 
of savage life still extensively prevalent in pagan Africa. 
According to Diodorus, this veneration was carried to so 
singular a pitch, that if the king lost a Leg or an arm, each 
of his courtiers presently severed from himself the same 
member. The priests, however, whose influence in this 
lealm of superstition was always paramount, appear at one 
time to have become quite supreme ; reducing the sovereign 
to a state of entire dependence. Lastly, it may be inferred, 
both from classic and sacred writers, that Ethiopia, in the 
first century, was governed by a female monarch, who ap- 
pears to have borne the hereditary name of Candace. 

The Greeks settled in Egypt, especially during the wise 
and able government of the Ptolemies, carried on a consi- 
derable navigation along the eastern coast of the Red Sea, 
which, as they held the continent to be bounded by the 
Nile, they accounted scarcely African ; but upon this sub- 
ject we must follow modern ideas. Ptolemy Euergetes 
seems to have conquered part of Abyssinia, forming it into 
a kingdom, of which Axum was the capital ; and fine re- 
mains of Grecian architecture still attest the fact of this 
city having been a great and civilized metropolis. Every 
ancient description, however, represents the native inha- 
bitants of these shores as existing in a state of the most 
extreme barbarity and wretchedness. They are classed by 



ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 31 

Diodorus and Strabo, according to the miserable food on 
which they usually subsisted; some as eaters of fish, 
of elephants, and of turtles; while ,, others are said to 
have fed on locusts, on roots, and even on the tender 
branches of trees. Many sought shelter also in places 
which had no regular claim to be considered as human ha- 
bitations. These were either cavities dug out of the rock, 
with an opening to the north for coolness, or they were 
formed by twisting together the branches of several large 
shrubs, and constructing thus a species of shady arbour ; 
while some tribes, still more forlorn, merely climbed the 
trees to seek safety and shelter among the branches. These 
representations were once deemed fabulous, and might still 
have been thought so, had not Bruce and other modern tra- 
vellers proved the existence of similar rudeness among the 
Shangalla and other tribes that border on Abyssinia. 

The districts now surveyed form the whole of Africa 
respecting which the Greeks had obtained any precise and 
determinate knowledge. It comprised a wide extent of 
shore, but extended a very short distance inland ; being 
bounded on each side by two unknown coasts, which 
stretched so far that it was not possible to conjecture their 
termination. Two tempestuous oceans, a desert the most 
dreary on the face of the earth, and infested by multitudes 
of huge and ferocious animals, were the barriers that 
hemmed in so closely the ancient settlers, and could scarcely 
in any instance be passed with impunity. Yet the prin- 
ciple of curiosity cannot be extinguished in the human 
breast, and is even rendered more ardent by the greatest 
obstacles. To lift up a portion of that veil within which 
the vast mysteries of unknown Libya were shrouded, ap- 
peared an achievement rivalling the glories of conquest, and 
promised to confer immortal renown. The most active and 
adventurous spirits accordingly, who sought to acquire ce- 
lebrity by exploring the earth, looked to Africa as affording 
the grandest theatre of fame and adventure. 

Two expeditions of discovery, the earliest known, and 
perhaps that ever existed, are related by Herodotus. One 
of the most illustrious of the native kings of Egypt was 
Necho, whose name ranks second only to that of Sesostris, 
and who lived about two hundred years before the histo- 
rian. The habits and prejudices of the ancient Egyptians 



32 ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 

were unfavourable to maritime enterprises ; yet Necho, 
endowed with the spirit of a great man, which raised him 
superior to the age in which he lived, eagerly sought the 
solution of the grand mystery that involved the form and 
termination of Africa. He was obliged to employ, not na- 
tive, but Phoenician navigators, of whose proceedings He- 
rodotus received an account from the Egyptian priests. 
Proceeding down the Red Sea, they entered the Indian 
Ocean ; and in a voyage of three years made the complete 
circuit of the continent, passing through the Pillars of Her- 
cules (Straits of Gibraltar), and up the Mediterranean to 
Egypt. They related, that in the course of this very long 
voyage they had repeatedly drawn their boats on land, 
sowed grain in a favourable place and season, waited till 
the crop grew and ripened under the influence of a tropical 
heat, then reaped it, and continued their progress. They 
added, that in passing the most southern coast of Africa, 
they were surprised by observing the sun on their right 
hand, — a statement which the historian himself rejects as 
impossible. Such is all the account transmitted to us of this 
extraordinary voyage, which has given rise to a learned 
and voluminous controversy. Rennel in his Geography 
of Herodotus, Vincent in his Periplus of the Erythrean 
Sea, and Gosselin in his Geography of the Ancients, 
have exhausted almost every possible argument ; the 
first in its favour, the two latter to prove that it never did 
or could take place. To these last it appears impossible 
that ancient mariners, with their slender resources, creeping 
in little row-galleys along the coast, steering without the 
aid of the compass, and unable to venture to any distance 
from land, could have performed so immense a circuit. 
All antiquity, they observe, continued to grope in doubt 
and darkness respecting the form of Africa, which was 
only fully established several thousand years afterward by 
the expedition of Gama. On the other side, Major Rennel 
urges, that, immense as this voyage was, it was entirely 
along a coast of which the navigators never required to 
lose sight even for a day ; that their small barks were well 
equipped, and better fitted than ours for coasting naviga- 
tion ; and which, drawing very little water, could be kept 
quite close to the shore, and even be drawn on land, when- 
ever an emergency made this step indispensable. The 



ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 33 

statement, that at the extremity of Africa they saw the sun 
on the right, that is, to the north of them,— a fact which 
causes Herodotus peremptorily to reject their report, — 
affords the strongest confirmation of it to us, who know 
that to the south of the equator this must have really taken 
place, and that his unbelief arose entirely from ignorance 
of the real figure of the earth. 

The other expedition had its origin in the country of the 
Nasamones, whom we have already mentioned as occupy- 
ing the district southward of Cyrene. Five young men of 
distinction formed themselves into an African association, 
personally to explore what was still unknown in the vast 
interior of this continent. They passed first the region 
inhabited by man ; then that which was tenanted by wild 
beasts ; lastly, they reached the immeasurable sandy 
waste. Having laid in a good stock of water and provi- 
sions, they travelled many days partly in a western direc- 
tion, and attained at length one of the oases or verdant 
islands which bespangle the desert. Here they saw trees 
laden with agreeable fruit, and had begun to pluck, when 
there suddenly appeared a band of little black men, who 
seized and carried them off as captives. They were led 
along vast lakes and marshes, to a town situated on a 
large river flowing from west to east, and inhabited by a 
nation all of the same size and colour with the strangers, 
and strongly addicted to the arts of necromancy. It is not 
said how or by what route they returned ; but, since they 
supplied this relation, they must by some means have 
reached home. Herodotus concludes this great river to be 
the Nile flowing from the westward ; while Major Rennel 
conceives it to be the Niger of Park, and the city to be 
Timbuctoo ; but since the late discoveries of Denham and 
Clapperton, it has appeared more probable that the stream 
was the Yeou or river of Bornou. The distance from 
Cyrene thither is not so great ; and nowhere but in the 
Tchad can we find those mighty lakes which make so pro- 
minent a figure in the narration. On the whole, it must 
appear truly wonderful that these efforts, made at so early 
an era, should have led to discoveries, respecting both the 
maritime outline and the interior of the continent, which 
Europeans could not regain for thousands of years, and 
one of which, at the present day, is still entirely new to us. 



34 ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 

The next expedition on record was made under less 
pleasing auspices. Sataspes, a Persian nobleman, had 
been condemned by Xerxes to crucifixion, on account of 
some crime of which he had been guilty ; but his mother, 
by earnest entreaty, obtained a commutation of the sen- 
tence into one which she represented as still more severe, 
— that of sailing round Africa. Under this heavy neces- 
sity, Sataspes coasted along the Mediterranean, passed the 
western point of the continent, and began a southward 
course. But he who undertook to explore this vast country 
with no interest in the subject, buoyed up by no gay en- 
thusiasm, and urged only by the fear of death behind, was 
ill prepared for achieving so mighty an enterprise. Satas- 
pes sailed southward for a considerable space ; but when 
he saw the Atlantic waves beating against the dreary shore 
of the Sahara, that scene of frequent and terrible ship 
wreck, it probably appeared to him that any ordinary form 
of death was preferable to the one which here menaced 
him. He returned, and presented himself before Xerxes, 
giving a doleful description of the hardships which he had 
encountered, declaring that the ship at last stood still of 
itself, and could by no exertion be made to proceed. That 
proud monarch, refusing to listen to such an explanation, 
ordered the original sentence, to be immediately executed. 
Such appears to have been the only African voyage under- 
taken by the Persians, to whom the sea was an object of 
aversion, and even of superstitious dread. 

Carthage, the greatest maritime and commercial state 
of antiquity, and which considered Africa and the Atlantic 
coast as her peculiar domain, must have made several ex- 
ploratory voyages before she could establish those extensive 
connexions upon which her trade was founded. Of all 
such attempts, however, the record of one only remains. 
It consisted of an expedition on a very large scale, sent out, 
about 570 years before the Christian era, for the joint pur- 
poses of colonization and discovery, under an admiral 
named Hanno. He carried with him, in sixty large vessels, 
emigrants of both sexes to the number of thirty thousand. 
At the distance of two days' sail beyond the Pillars of Her- 
cules, the Carthaginians founded the city of Thymioterium, 
and afterward, on the wooded promontory of Soloeis, 
erected a stately temple to Neptune. They then built 



ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 35 

successively four other cities ; after which they came to 
the great river Lixus, flowing from Li-bya and the high 
boundary of the Atlas. Its banks were infested by num- 
bers of wild beasts, and inhabited only by savage Ethio- 
pians, living in caves, and repelling every friendly overture. 
Proceeding three days along a desert coast, the navigators 
reached an island, which they named Cerne, situated in a 
recess of the sea, where they established their last colony. 
Sailing onward still for a number of days, they saw a large 
river full of crocodiles and hippopotami, and containing 
various islands. The inhabitants were timid, and fled at 
their approach ; but the coast presented some remarkable 
phenomena. During the day deep silence reigned ; but as 
soon as the sun set, fires blazed on the shore, and the shouts 
of men were mingled with the varied sounds of cymbals, 
trumpets, and other musical instruments. This scene s 
being new to the Carthaginians, struck them with a sort 
of terror ; but in fact it must have arisen from the custom 
prevalent over native Africa, where the inhabitants rest 
during the oppressive heat of the day, and spend great part 
of the night in dancing and festivity. On another shore 
the navigators were astonished to see the land all on fire, 
and torrents of flame rushing into the sea, — an appearance 
doubtless owing to one of those conflagrations frequently 
occasioned in such countries by the practice of setting fire 
to the grass at the end of autumn. Next appeared an 
island in a bay, where they found a most singular race, 
bearing the human form, indeed, but covered with shaggy 
hair, resembling those satyrs and sylvan deities with which 
pagan mythology peopled the woods. These monsters, 
whom they call Gorillse, and who seem evidently to have 
been orang-outangs, ran oif on their approach, climbed 
rocks, and threw down stones en their pursuers ; yet three 
females were caught, and their skins carried to Carthage. 
At length, the coast becoming desolate, and no longer 
affording either provisions or water, it was found necessary 
to return. 

How far this voyage extended, and what proportion of 
the African coast it surveyed, has been the subject of long 
and learned controversy. The only two disputants who 
now Appear on the field are Major Rennel and M. Gosse- 
lin ; the former of whom believes that Hanno passed Sierra 



36 ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 

Leone, and that the bay and island of the Gorillae were 
Sherbro' Island and Sound ; while the other terminates the 
voyage on the frontier of Morocco, at the entrance of the 
river Nun. The one supposes a run of about 600 miles, 
the other one of nearly 3000 ; and yet each theory is sup- 
ported by profound and able arguments. In such a case 
who shall decide 1 I really have made some attempts to do 
so, without being able to come to so clear a decision as 
would justify me in interposing between two such mighty 
champions. But he who will undertake the study of the 
original works will be gratified by finding all the resources 
of learning, ingenuity, and acuteness exhausted by these 
two great writers on this curious subject. 

The individual who in that early age made the most re- 
solute and persevering efforts to explore Africa was Eu- 
doxus, a native of the city of Cyzicus, who lived about 130 
years before Christ. Alexandria was then the centre of 
naval enterprise, and her Greek princes the most zealous 
patrons of all useful undertakings. Eudoxus, happening to 
visit that city, was introduced to Ptolemy Euergetes, whom 
he ably assisted in prosecuting those schemes of discovery 
on which this monarch's mind appears to have been deeply 
intent. Where so much was unknown on every side, it 
was a subject of grave deliberation in what direction he 
should first proceed ; and an expedition to trace the upper 
course and fountain of the Nile was at one time contem- 
plated. But the spirit of adventure was soon turned towards 
another object by the arrival of a native of India, whom 
one of the king's vessels had saved from shipwreck, and 
who offered to act as pilot in leading Eudoxus to that opu- 
lent and celebrated region. The latter performed the voy- 
age to India prosperously, and returned laden with wealth. 
Though not quite satisfied with the manner in which he 
was treated by the king, he yet undertook another expedi- 
tion to the same quarter. On emerging from the Red Sea, 
he was driven by a storm upon the eastern coast of Africa, 
where he observed the land taking such a direction as in- 
spired the idea that it might, by no vast circuit, lead round 
to the Straits of Gibraltar. To be the circumnavigator of 
Africa became from that moment the object to which the life 
of Eudoxus was devoted. On his return to Alexandria, 
Euergetes was dead, and the succeeding sovereign gave him 



ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 37 

still greater cause of complaint ; so that he determined to 
trust no more to the precarious patronage of princes, but to 
make a general appeal to the commercial public. The mer- 
chants of Cadiz were thought most likely to embrace his 
views ; and on his way thither he passed through Rhodes, 
Marseilles, and other great maritime states, calling upon all 
who were animated with the generous spirit of enterprise 
to accompany or to aid him in his undertaking. An extraor- 
dinary sensation seems to have been created in these com- 
mercial cities. Eudoxus easily assembled round him a con- 
siderable band of volunteers, and was enabled to equip 
amply, and even splendidly, two vessels furnished with me- 
dical men and artisans of various descriptions, and even en- 
livened by a band of youthful musicians. In this array he 
passed the Straits, and turned his prow as he imagined to- 
wards India. But his gay crew, inspired by himself pro- 
bably with too flattering hopes, seem to have anticipated 
only a smooth and holyday excursion. When, therefore, 
they saw themselves ranging along an unknown and dreary 
shore, against which the waves of the mighty Atlantic were 
beating, they were seized with panic. In vain did Eudoxus 
urge the necessity of standing out to sea, as the only mode 
of successfully navigating his large .and heavily-loaded 
ships; they obstinately insisted on his keeping close to 
land. The consequence was, as he had distinctly foretold, 
that the principal vessel was stranded upon one of those 
dangerous sand-banks which abound on the coast. The 
crew were so fortunate, however, as to convey ashore not 
only the cargo, but the timbers ; out of which Eudoxus, 
with zeal that nothing could damp, contrived to put toge- 
ther another and smaller bark, in which he pursued the 
voyage. He came then to nations speaking a language 
which his fancy flattered him was the same that he had 
heard on the eastern coast of Africa. But at this moment, 
when he seemed on the eve of accomplishing his most san- 
guine hopes, the shattered state of his armament obliged 
him to return ; retaining still the fullest confidence, that if 
the means could be found of equipping another, all his most 
brilliant hopes would be realized. Disgusted, however, 
with his band of timid volunteers, he overcame his reluc- 
tance to royal patronage. He sought the precarious aid of 
Bocchus, king of Mauritania, who received him well, and 
D 



38 ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 

ordered an expedition to be prepared; but Eudoxus was 
privately warned that this treacherous prince, instead of 
forwarding him on his voyage, intended that his people 
should land and leave him to perish on an uninhabited 
island. It does not appear what motive the king could 
have for so base a design ; however, the Greek, who had 
better means of judging than we have, believed it and fled. 
He made his next attempt in Spain, where he found no dif- 
ficulty in equipping two other vessels, on board of which 
he placed seed-corn and materials for building, that in case 
of necessity he might land and raise a crop on a fertile 
little island which he had observed at an advanced point of 
his former voyage. Here, very unluckily, Posidonius, 
Strabo's informant, stops short, and refers to the Spaniards 
and Gaditanians for farther information; but profound si- 
lence reigns on their part, and the world probably must 
remain for ever in darkness as to the issue of this last ex- 
pedition. It must not be concealed, that authors of great 
name, not excepting Strabo himself, have branded Eudoxus 
as a decided impostor ; a reproach which many of the most 
eminent discoverers have been destined to bear. This 
geographer is a most merciless critic ; but though his au- 
thorities are admitted to be good, his long objections, drawn 
from the internal evidence, do not appear at all conclusive. 
Antiquity has put sundry fables into the narrative of Eu- 
doxus, by which his reputation has severely suffered. Ac- 
cording to certain works, he pretended to have really made 
the circuit of Africa; to have visited some nations that 
were dumb ; others without tongues ; and one people who 
had no mouths, but received all their food by the nose. 
These are the wild exaggerations which, in a credulous age, 
a story undergoes in passing from one person to another. 
The descriptions of Strabo, collected from the best sources, 
with severe and even malignant scrutiny, contain none of 
those suspicious wonders, nor any event which at all ex- 
ceeds the common course of nature. 

A line of navigation along the eastern coast of Africa is 
described in a work of later date, written apparently after 
the establishment of the Roman power in Egypt. It is 
termed the Periplus of the Erythrean or Indian Sea, by an 
author whose name was Arrian ; but it comprises not so 
much the result of any individual adventure as a general 



ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF AFRICA. 39 

view of the commercial voyage regularly made thither 
from Alexandria. After passing Abyssinia, the navigators 
sailed along a coast (that of the modern Berbera) which 
abounded in a remarkable degree with myrrh, frankincense, 
and other odoriferous plants. They then reached Cape 
Aromata (Guardafui), which forms the termination of the 
Red Sea and the entrance into the Indian Ocean. The 
coast of Africa, in this latitude, afforded ivory in abun- 
dance, rhinoceros' horns, and tortoise-shell, the latter of 
which was extremely fine ; and in return for these, arms, 
wine, and corn were the most acceptable commodities. 
The voyage terminated at a promontory and port called 
Rhapta, a fact which of itself would show the extent cf an- 
cient navigation in this direction, could the learned agree 
where that town was situated; but all the names being 
•changed, and no observations of latitude having been made, 
it is impossible to fix with certainty any one position. 
Rhapta, according to Gosselin, was Magadoxo ; according 
to Vossius and Vincent it was at or near Quiloa, a position 
more than double the distance of the first from Cape Guar- 
dafui. On this point Dr. Vincent seems clearly in the 
right. The names are all changed, but the natural features 
necessarily remain the same. Now the navigator is in one 
place represented as passing successively the seven mouths 
of a large river at short distances from each other; and 
these cannot possibly be found any where but in the series 
ef estuaries on which Patta and Melinda are built, the prin- 
cipal of which is that of the Quillimane, — a conclusion 
which necessarily carries the situation of Rhapta southward 
to Quiloa. Ptolemy, who wrote probably a century later, 
gives the more remote position of Prasum as a promontor) T , 
port, and city, to which in his time navigators were accus- 
tomed to sail. We have no fact to guide us to the locality 
of that town, except that it was two or three hundred miles 
south-east from Rhapta. Gosselin makes it Brava; but 
this is still short of the mouths of the seven rivers which 
afford the test of this chain of positions. Dr. Vincent, 
again, would have Prasum to be Mozambique ; but though 
the coast runs south-east from Quiloa to Cape Delegado, 
from this last point to Mozambique the direction is south, 
and even a little south-west. At or near Cape Delegado, 
therefore, must, it appears, be fixed the boundary of ancient 
navigation along the eastern co fit of Africa. 



40 SETTLEMENTS OP THE ARABS. 

CHAPTER III. 

Settlements of the Arabs. 

The rise and triumph of the followers of Mohammed, 
who in fifty years spread their arms and their creed over 
half the eastern world, produced an immense change in the 
social system of Asia, and a still greater in that of Africa. 
Their ascendency at first was by no means inauspicious, 
and portended little of that deep darkness and barbarism in 
which it has since involved these two continents. After 
the first violences to which fanaticism had prompted the 
more ardent converts, the Saracen sway assumed a milder 
aspect, and their princes cultivated the arts, and even the 
sciences, with a zeal which had expired among the effemi- 
nate and corrupted descendants of the Greeks and Romans. 
Even the remote Mauritania, which seemed doomed to bfe 
the inheritance of a barbarous and nomadic race, was con- 
verted by them into a civilized empire ; and its capital, Fez, 
became a distinguished school of learning. Their love of 
improvement reached even the most distant regions. They 
introduced the camel, which, though a native of the sandy 
wastes of Arabia, was equally adapted to the still more im- 
mense and awful deserts that stretch so wide over Africa. 
Paths were opened through wilds which had hitherto defied 
all human efforts to penetrate. An intercourse by means 
of caravans was formed with the interior countries, to ob- 
tain a supply of gold and slaves ; and, amid the sanguinary 
disputes which arose among the descendants of the pro- 
phet, many, whose ill fortune exposed them to the enmity 
of successful rivals, sought refuge on the opposite side of 
the Great Desert. By successive migrations, they not only 
became numerous in Central Africa, but, from superior skill 
in the art of war, rose to be the ruling power. They 
founded several flourishing kingdoms in that part of the 
continent which Europeans vainly sought to reach, till they 
were recently explored by our enterprising countrymen. 
Of these states Ghana was the most flourishing, forming 
the great market for that gold in search of which merchants 



SETTLEMENTS OF THE ARABS. 41 

came from the remotest regions. Its sovereign was ac- 
knowledged as supreme by all the neighbouring princes ; 
while his court displayed a splendour, and was adorned 
with objects, hitherto unexampled in Central Africa. 
Among its ornaments were painting, sculpture, and glass 
windows, which, being before unknown, excited the sur- 
prise and admiration of the natives. The king is said to 
have rode out attended by elephants and camelopards, 
tamed by an art then first introduced, and since lost. The 
natives were also dazzled by the display of a mass of solid 
gold, weighing thirty pounds, with which the throne was 
embellished. This prince is reported to have made a great 
profession of justice, going out twice every day, and pre- 
senting himself to all who wished to offer petition or com- 
plaint. The vicissitudes of fortune have subverted the 
ldngdom of Ghana, and made its territory successively sub- 
ject to Timbuctoo, Kashna, and Sackatoo ; but our late 
travellers found it, under the changed name, or rather or- 
thography, of Kano, still extensive and populous, and con- 
tinuing to be the chief seat of the interior commerce of 
Africa. 

Tocrur, about twenty-four days' journey north-west of 
Ghana, was a kingdom inferior indeed to the other, yet 
powerful and independent. It carried on an extensive 
traffic with the people of the "remotest west," who brought 
shells (cowries 1) and brass, for which they received gold 
and ornaments. Mention is made of the fine cotton cloths 
which still form the staple manufacture. Tocrur appears 
evidently to be Sackatoo or Soccatoo, now the capital of 
an empire which comprehends Ghana and all the neigh- 
bouring countries. Indeed, in an official document com- 
municated by Major Denham, we find this called the empire 
of Takror. 

Kuku, to the eastward of Ghana, forms another kingdom, 
on whose power and extent the Arabian writers largely 
dilate. The sovereign is said to have a very numerous 
train of attendants, and the people to be uncommonly war- 
like, though rude in their manners and attire. The mer- 
chants, however, are represented as very richly dressed, and 
accustomed to visit and converse with the governors and 
nobility. This country is manifestly Bornou, named from 
its capital, which bears still the same appellation. Twenty 
D2 



42 SETTLEMENTS OF THE ARABS. 

days' journey to the south was Kaugha, a city famous for 
industry and useful arts, and the women of which were 
skilled in the secrets of magic. Though the resemblance 
of name is rather imperfect, this seems to be Denham's 
Loggum, much celebrated by him for its ingenious labours 
and fine manufactures, as well as for the intelligence of its 
females ; and, among a rude people, wit and witchery are 
always imagined to have a close connexion. 

To the south of Ghana lay Wangara, a district that is 
said to have contained gold, the commodity for which 
African commerce was so much prized. This region is 
described as intersected and overflowed during the rainy 
season by the branches of the Nile (of the Negroes, or 
Niger), which impregnate the earth with the sand, it is 
said, whence this precious metal was extracted. As soon 
as the waters have retired, the inhabitants eagerly dig the 
ground, and every one finds more or less, " according to 
the gift of God." There seems to be some confusion of 
ideas about this country and its golden products. A dis- 
trict in the southern part of Soudan is called Oongoroo, or 
Ungura ; but it no longer furnishes gold ; nor is Ghana, at 
the present day, the market for that valuable staple of 
Central Africa. In the mountainous countries to the south- 
west this metal is still collected abundantly, in the very 
manner described by the Arabian writers. 

The whole range of alpine territory to the southward of 
the regions now described was called Lamlam, and pre- 
sented a continued scene of barbarous violence. It was 
branded as the land of the infidels, — of a people to whom 
none of the charities of life were due, and against whom 
the passions of cruelty and of avarice might be gratified 
without remorse. Expeditions or slave-hunts were there- 
fore made into these unfortunate countries ; when, after a 
bloody conflict, numerous victims were seized, carried off, 
and sold to the merchants of Northern Africa, who con- 
veyed them to all parts of the eastern world. The same 
cruel and iniquitous traffic is carried on in a similar manner, 
and with unabated activity, at the present day. 

Respecting Western Africa, the Arabians do not seem to 
have been very accurately informed. They describe the 
Atlantic as only about five hundred miles beyond Tocrur, 
although two thousand would have been nearer the truth ; 



SETTLEMENTS OF THE ARABS. 43 

perhaps they mistook the great lake Dibbie for the sea. 
They mention the island of Ulil, whence were brought great 
quantities of salt, an article which is in constant demand 
throughout Soudan. Ulil, though called an island, was 
probably Walet, the great interior market for that mineral ; 
but all the features of the country around and beyond it 
seem to have been confusedly blended together by the Mo- 
hammedan authors. 

At the time when the Arabian geographers flourished, 
the Christian religion was professed, not only in Abyssinia, 
but even in Nubia, to its northern frontier at Syene. The 
bigotry and dislike produced by hostile creeds, not only de- 
prived these writers of the means of information, but led 
them to view with contempt every thing relating to coun- 
tries accounted infidel. Their notices, therefore, of the re- 
gions in the Upper Nile, and along the western shores of 
the Red Sea, are exceedingly meager. It was otherwise, 
indeed, with the eastern coast of Africa on the Indian 
Ocean. The people of Southern Arabia, who were then 
actively employed in commerce and navigation, had not only 
explored, but formed establishments at Mombaza, Melinda, 
Mozambique, and at all the leading points on that coast ; 
which were still found in their possession by the early Por- 
tuguese navigators. 

For this general view of Central Africa in the twelfth 
century, we are indebted to Edrisi, Abulfeda, Ibn-al-Vardi, 
and other writers, who do not however pretend to have 
visited in person the regions which they describe. Arabic 
literature has, notwithstanding, been also enriched by the 
productions of some eminent travellers. Wahab and Abu- 
zaid, in the ninth century, penetrated into China, and com- 
municated to the western world the first distinct idea of that 
remarkable empire and people. Their career, however, was 
far surpassed in the fourteenth century by Ibn Batuta, a 
learned Mohammedan, who traversed the continents of Asia 
and Africa from the eastern ocean to the banks of the Niger. 
For a knowledge of his narrative the English public have 
just been indebted to the learned labours of Professor Le& 
of Cambridge, as a member of the Society for Oriental 
Translation. Unfortunately, he could only procure the work 
in a very abridged form, which renders it more an object of 
curiosity than as fitted to convey full information of the state 
of the world, at that early pei ; o<L 



44 SETTLEMENTS OF THE ARABS. 

It was from Fez that Ibn Batuta commenced his peregri- 
nation through Interior Africa. He went first to Segil- 
missa, which he describes as a handsome town, situated in 
a territory abounding with date-trees. Having joined a ca- 
ravan, he came, after a journey of twenty-five days, to 
Thargari, which some manuscripts make Tagaza, and is 
therefore evidently the Tegazza of Leo, supposed by Major 
Rennel to be the modern Tishect, containing the mine 
whence Timbuctoo is chiefly supplied with salt. To our 
traveller the place appeared to contain no object desirable or 
agreeable : there was nothing but salt ; the houses were 
built with slabs of that mineral, and roofed with the hides 
of camels. It even appeared to him that nature had lodged 
this commodity in regular tables in the mine, fitted for being 
conveyed to a distance ; but he probably overlooked an arti- 
ficial process by which it is usually brought into this form. 
From Thargari he went in twenty days to Tashila, three 
days beyond which commenced a desert of the most dreary 
aspect, where there was neither water, beast, nor bird, 
"nothing but sand and hills of sand." In ten days he 
came to Abu Latin, a large commercial town, crowded with 
merchants from various quarters of the continent. The 
manners of the people, as is indeed too common in the 
scenes of inland traffic throughout Africa, appeared to him 
very licentious, and wholly destitute of that decorum which 
usually marks a Mussulman residence. The women main- 
tained a greater share of respectability than the other sex ; 
yet this did not prevent them from hiring themselves as tem- 
porary wives to those whom the pursuits of trade induced 
to visit Abu Latin. The editor has not hazarded a conjec- 
ture what place this is ; but on finding it in one manuscript 
called Ayulatin, and in another Ewelatin, I think there is 
no doubt of its being Walet, which lay completely in the 
route of our traveller, and is the only great city in that 
quarter of Africa. 

From Abu Latin the adventurer proceeded in twenty-four 
days to Mali, then the most flourishing country and city in 
that part of the continent. This Mali is evidently the Melli 
of Leo, who described it as situated on a river to the south 
of Timbuctoo ; but it is not so easy to identify it with any 
modern position. Our traveller makes heavy complaints of 
the cold reception and narrow bounty of an African poten- 
tate in this district. After waiting upon his majesty, h« 



SETTLEMENTS OF THE ARABS. 45 

was informed that a present was on its way to him, and he 
feasted his imagination on the idea of some rich dress or 
golden ornament ; instead of which, the whole consisted of 
a crust of bread, a dried fish, and sour milk. He had the 
boldness to remonstrate with the king on this donation, de- 
claring, that in course of travelling over the whole world, 
he had never received the like ; and his majesty, instead of 
being incensed, began to extend to him some measure of 
bounty. Ibn Batuta, however, was disgusted by the abject 
homage paid to this monarch, as it still is to the native 
princes of Africa; the courtiers, as they approached, cast- 
ing dust on their heads, throwing themselves prostrate and 
grovelling on the earth, — a degradation which he had never 
witnessed in the most despotic courts of the East. Yet 
justice is admitted to have been most strictly administered, 
and property to be perfectly secure ; as a proof of which, 
merchants from the most distant country, who died at Mali, 
were as assured of leaving their inheritance to their poste- 
rity as if it had been deposited at home. The traveller 
was astonished by the immense bulk of the trees of this re- 
gion, in the hollow trunk of one of which he observed a 
weaver plying his trade. 

Ibn Batuta on this part of his journey saw the Niger ; 
and the view necessarily led to a conclusion opposite to that 
hitherto entertained by his countrymen, who considered it 
as flowing westward to the ocean. Destitute of all oppor- 
tunity of complete observation, he fell into the opposite 
error, since prevalent in Northern Africa, and identified it 
with the Nile. He supposed it to flow by Timbuctoo, Ka- 
kaw (Kukul), Yuwi (seemingly the Yeou, or river of Bor- 
nou), and then by Nubia to Egypt. 

From Mali our traveller turned northward to Timbuctoo. 
This city was then subject to the former, governed by a 
negro viceroy, and far from possessing the celebrity and 
importance which it has since attained. The town is de- 
scribed as being chiefly peopled by merchants from Latham, 
but what particular country that was it appears now impos- 
sible to conjecture. He next proceeded eastward by Ka- 
kaw, Bardama, and Nakda, where he seems to have been 
near Nubia, but gives no farther details till he again arrived 
at Fez. 

About two centuries after Ibn Batuta, a very full de- 



46 SETTLEMENTS OF THE ARABS. 

scription of Africa was furnished by a geographer named 
Leo, who was even honoured with the surname of Africa- 
nus. He was a native of Granada, but after the capture of 
that city by Ferdinand, repaired to Fez ; and in that once 
eminent school, applied himself to acquire a knowledge of 
Arabic learning and of the African continent. He after- 
ward travelled through a great part of the interior, and, 
having repaired to Rome, wrote his description of Africa 
under the auspices of Leo X. It appears, that since the 
time of Edrisi, one of those revolutions to which barbarous 
states are liable had greatly changed the aspect of these 
countries. Timbuctoo, which at the former period either 
did not exist, or was not thought worthy of mention, had 
now risen to be the most powerful of the interior kingdoms, 
and the great centre of commerce and wealth. Ghana, once 
possessed of imperial greatness, had already changed its 
name to Kano, and was ranked as tributary to Timbuctoo. 
Bornou appears under its old appellation ; and several 
kingdoms which have since held a conspicuous place are 
mentioned for the first time, — Casena or Cassina (Kashna), 
Zegzeg, Zanfara, and Guber. Gago, represented as being 
four hundred miles south-east of Timbuctoo, is evidently 
Eyeo, lately visited by Clapperton. Ghinea, or Gheneoa, 
described as a city of great commerce and splendour, has 
been supposed to be Ghana; but I think it is evidently 
Jenne, which Park found to be the largest and most flou- 
rishing city of Bambarra. At Timbuctoo many of the mer- 
chants were extremely opulent, and two of them had ob- 
tained princesses in marriage. Literature was cultivated 
with ardour, and manuscripts bore a higher price than any 
other commodity. Izchia, the king, who had been success- 
ful in subduing all the neighbouring countries, maintained 
an army of 3000 horse, and a numerous infantry, partly 
armed with poisoned arrows. Gold, for which Timbuctoo 
had now become the chief mart, was lavishly employed in 
the ornament of his court and person. He displayed solid 
masses, larger even than the one at Ghana, and some of 
his ornaments weigehd 1300 ounces. The royal palace and 
several mosques were handsomely built of stone ; but the 
ordinary habitations here, as in all Central Africa, were 
merely bell-shaped huts, the materials of which were stakes, 
clay, and reeds'. 



PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 47 

CHAPTER IV. 

Portuguese Discoveries* 

Europe, for ten centuries, during the decline of the Ro- 
man empire, the irruption of the barbarous nations, and the 
operation of the rude systems of feudal polity, remained 
sunk in profound apathy respecting all objects relating to 
science, discovery, and distant commerce. The splendour 
of the Crescent for a short interval outshone all that was 
brightest in the Christian world ; and the courts of Bagdad, 
of Fez, and of Cordova were more refined and more en- 
lightened than those of London and Paris. At a somewhat 
early period, it is true, the Hanse Towns and the Italian 
republics began to cultivate manufactures and commerce, 
and to lay the foundation of a still higher prosperity ; but 
they carried on chiefly an inland or coasting trade. The 
naval efforts even of Venice and Genoa extended no far- 
ther than to bring from Alexandria and the shores of the 
Black Sea the commodities of India, which had been con- 
veyed thither chiefly by caravans overland. Satisfied with 
the wealth and power to which they had been raised by this 
local and limited commerce, these celebrated republics mide 
no attempt to open a more extended path over the ocean. 
Their pilots, indeed, guided most of the vessels which were 
engxged in the' early voyages of discovery; but they were 
employed, and the means furnished, by the great monarchs 
whose ports were situated upon the shores of the At- 
lantic. 

About the end of the fifteenth century, the human mind 
began to make a grand movement in every direction ; in re- 
ligion, science, freedom, and industry. It eagerly sought, 
not only to break loose from that thraldom in which it had 
been bound for so many ages, but to rival and even surpass 
all that had been achieved during the most brilliant eras of 
antiquity. These high aims were peculiarly directed to 
the department of maritime discovery. The invention of 
the compass, the skill of the Venetian and Genoese pilots, 
and the knowledge transmitted from former times, inspired 



48 PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 

mankind with the hope of being able to pass all the ancient 
barriers, and to throw light upon regions hitherto unknown. 
A small power, long sunk in apathy and political degrada- 
tion, started first in this career, and took the lead for a cer- 
tain time of all the European states. Portugal, during the 
reign of its kings John and Emmanuel, stood pre-eminent 
in enterprise and intelligence. Prince Henry, in particular, 
a younger son of John I., devoted all his thoughts and his 
whole life to the promotion of naval undertakings. No 
idea, however, was yet entertained of the new worlds which 
were afterward discovered by the daring spirit of Columbus. 
The local position of Portugal, its wars and expeditions 
against Morocco, led to the idea that the western border of 
Africa was the best field for discovery. The information 
respecting this coast was still very limited ; so that the 
passage of Cape Bojador by Gilianez, in 1433, caused a 
surprise and admiration almost equal to what were after- 
ward excited by the discovery of America. A rapid pro- 
gress was afterward made along the shore of the Sahara, 
and the Portuguese navigators were not long in reaching 
the fertile regions watered by the Senegal and the Gambia. 
The early part of this progress was dreary in the ex- 
treme. The mariners saw only naked rocks and burning 
sands, stretching immeasurably into the interior, and afford- 
ing no encouragement to any project of settlement. Be- 
yond Cape Blanco, however, Nuno Tristan, in 1443, dis- 
covered the island of Arguin ; and notwithstanding the 
disaster of Gonzalo da Cintra, who, in 1445, was killed by 
a party of Moors, the Portuguese made it for some time 
their principal establishment. The country was far from 
presenting a brilliant aspect, though it was visited by cara- 
vans of the " Brabariis and Luddaias" (the people of 
Bambarra and Ludamar), who gave a very favourable re- 
port of the interior regions. Besides the expected accession 
to the power and splendour of the monarchy, the Portu- 
guese cherished another object still more fondly. They 
hoped to open an intercourse with a prince, or person, of 
whom they had heard much under the mysterious appella- 
tion of Prester John. This singular name seems to have 
been first introduced by travellers from Eastern Asia, 
where it had been applied to some Ncstorian bishop, who 
teld there a species of sovereignty ; and as soon as ru- 



PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 49 

mouis arrived of the Christian king of Abyssinia, he was 
concluded to be the real Prester John. His dominions 
being reported to stretch far inland, and as the breadth of 
the African continent was very imperfectly understood, the 
conclusion was formed, that a mission from the western 
coast might easily reach his capital. What were the pre- 
cise expectations formed from an intercourse with this per- 
sonage does not fully appear ; but it seems to have been 
thoroughly rooted in the minds of the Portuguese, that 
they would be raised to a matchless height of glory and 
felicity, if they could by any means arrive at the court of 
Prester John. The principal instruction given to all offi- 
cers employed in African service was, that, in every quarter 
and by every means, they should endeavour to effect this 
grand discovery. They accordingly never failed to put the 
question to all the wanderers of the desert, and to every 
caravan that came from the interior ; but in vain — the 
name of Prester John had never been heard. The Portu- 
guese then besought the natives, at all events, into what- 
ever region their journeys might lead them, studiously to 
inquire if Prester John was there, or if any one knew 
where he was to be found ; and, on the promise of a 
splendid reward in case of success, this was readily under- 
taken. 

In 1446, Diniz Fernandez discovered Cape Verd, and in 
the following year Lancelot entered the Senegal. The 
Portuguese found in this neighbourhood fertile and popu- 
lous regions, that promised to reward their exertions much 
more effectually than the visionary name after which they 
had so eagerly inquired. A circumstance occurred, also, 
most convenient for monarchs who contemplate an exten- 
sion of dominion. Bemoy, a prince of the Jaloff nation, 
came to Arguin, complaining that he had been driven from 
the throne, and entreating the aid of the Portuguese to 
restore to him his crown, which he was willing to wear as 
their ally, and even as their vassal. Bemoy was received 
with open arms, and conveyed to Jjisbon. Here he expe- 
rienced a brilliant reception, and his visit was celebrated 
by all the festal exhibitions peculiar to that age, — bull- 
fights, puppet-shows, and even feats of dogs. On this oc- 
casion Bemoy made a display of the agility of his native 
attendants, who, on foot, kept pace with the swiftest horses, 
E 



50 PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 

mounting and alighting from these animals at full gallop. 
After being instructed in the Christian religion, he was 
baptized, and did homage to the king and to the Pope for 
the crown which was to be placed on his head ; for which 
purpose a powerful armament, under the command of Pero 
Vaz d'Acunha, was sent out with him to the banks of the 
Senegal. 

The conclusion of this adventure was extremely tragical. 
A quarrel having arisen between Bemoy and the com- 
mander, the latter stabbed the prince on board of his vessel. 
Whether this violent deed was prompted by the heat of 
passion, or by well-grounded suspicions of Bemoy's fidelity, 
was never fully investigated ; but the king learned the 
event with deep regret, and even, in consequence, gave up 
his design of building a fort on the Senegal. He made, 
however, no pause in his indefatigable efforts to trace the 
abode of Prester John. Ambassadors were sent into the 
interior, and, according to De Barros, even as far as Tim- 
buctoo. All endeavours were vain as to the primary object ; 
but the Portuguese thereby gained a more complete know- 
ledge of this part of Interior Africa than was afterward 
attained in Europe till a very recent period. Most of this 
intelligence, however, has either perished, or still remains 
locked up in the archives of the Lusitanian monarchy. 

The Portuguese continued to prosecute African disco- 
very, till, in 1471, they reached the Gold Coast, when, 
dazzled by the importance and splendour of the commodity, 
the commerce of which gave name to that region, they 
built Elmina (the mine), making it the capital of their pos- 
sessions in this continent. Pushing onward to Benin, they 
received a curious account of an embassy said to be sent, 
at the accession of every new monarch, to the court of a 
sovereign called Ogane, resident seven or eight hundred 
miles in the interior. When the ambassadors were intro- 
duced, a silk curtain shrouded the monarch from their view, 
till the moment of their departure, when the royal foot was 
graciously put forth from under the veil, and " reverence 
done to it as to a holy thing." This statement greatly 
excited the curiosity of the Portuguese, to whom this mys- 
terious monarch appeared, more likely than any they had 
yet heard of, to be Prester John. Who this Ogane really 
was has been a subject of much doubtful discussion. 



PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 51 

The Portuguese had for some time been desirous to 
frame a title to this extensive coast, part of which they 
had now discovered. They appealed chiefly to the reli- 
gion, or rather to the superstition, of the age. The maxim 
had been early established, that whatever country should 
be conquered from infidel nations was to be held the pro- 
perty of the victors. This claim was rendered available 
by a grant obtained from the Pope, assigning to them in 
full dominion all lands which should be discovered beyond 
Cape Bojador, and in their farther progress eastward. 
Hence, after the establishment at Elmina, the king no 
longer hesitated to assume the pompous title of Lord of 
Guinea, and instructed his commanders that, instead of 
the wooden cross hitherto erected in sign of conquest, they 
should raise pillars of stone double the height of a man, 
with suitable inscriptions, surmounted by crucifixes inlaid 
with lead. In 1484, Diego Cam sailed from Elmina in 
quest of new shores on which this emblem of Portuguese 
dominion might be planted. After passing Cape St. Ca- 
therine, he found himself involved in a very strong current 
setting out from the land, which was still distant ; though 
the water, when tasted, was found to be fresh. It was 
conjectured, therefore, that he was near the mouth of a 
great river, which proved to be the fact. It has since been 
celebrated under the name of the Zaire or Congo. Diego, 
on reaching its southern bank, erected his first pillar, — an 
event considered so memorable, that the stream itself has 
often, by Portuguese writers, been termed the " River of 
the Pillar." He ascended its borders, opened an inter- 
course with the natives, and inquired after the residence 
of their sovereign. They pointed to a place at a consi- 
derable distance in the interior, and undertook to guide 
thither a mission, which they pledged themselves, within 
a stipulated period, to lead back in safety. As the natives 
meantime passed and repassed on the most intimate footing, 
Diego took advantage of a moment when several of the 
principal persons were on board his ship, weighed anchor, 
and stood out to sea. He soothed the alarm visible in the 
countenances of their countiymen on shore, by signs, inti- 
mating that this step was taken solely to gratify the anx- 
ious desire of his sovereign to see and converse with these 
African chiefs ; that in fifteen moons they should certainly 



52 PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 

be brought back again ; and that, meanwhile, a number of 
his people should be left as hostages. Diego then sailed 
to Lisbon, where he introduced with triumph these living 
trophies of his discovery. The king was highly gratified, 
and held many conversations with the Congo princes, 
whom he loaded with honours, and caused to be conveyed 
back at the appointed period to the shores of the Zaire. 
On Diego's arrival at that river, it was highly gratifying to 
see, waiting on the bank, the part of his crew whom he 
had left as pledges, and respecting whom he had felt some 
anxiety. He was invited to court, where the king not 
only received him with kindness, but agreed to embrace 
Christianity, and to send several of his principal lords to 
Europe, to be instructed in its principles. They sailed, 
accordingly, and this new arrival of Congo leaders of the 
first rank gave fresh satisfaction at Lisbon. They re- 
mained two years, experiencing the very best treatment ; 
and on their being considered ripe for baptism, the king 
stood godfather to the principal envoy, and his chief no- 
bles to others ; on which occasion the Africans received 
the names of the persons by whom they had been thus 
honoured. 

In 1490, a new armament, guided by Ruy de Sousa, 
conveyed back the Congo nobles to their native country. 
The Portuguese, on their arrival, were received by the king 
in full pomp. The native troops approached in three 
lines, making so prodigious a noise with horns, kettledrums, 
and other instruments, and raising shouts so tremendous, 
as to surpass all that the Europeans had ever witnessed in 
Catholic processions and invocations to the saints. The 
king himself was seated in the midst of a large park, upon 
an ivory chair raised on a platform. He was dressed in 
rich and glossy skins of wild beasts, a bracelet of brass 
hanging from his left arm, a horse's tail from his shoulder, 
and on his head a bonnet of fine cloth woven from the 
palm-tree. He gave full permission to erect a church 
and, when murmurs were heard from a few of his attend- 
ants, he instantly offered to put them to death on the spot • 
but the Portuguese laudably dissuaded him from so violent 
a step. He himself and all his nobles were baptized ; and 
free scope was allowed to the exertions of the Catholic 
missionaries. These churchmen seem to have been really 



PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 58 

animated with a very devoted and persevering zeal ; but 
they had, unfortunately, conceived an incorrect idea of what 
they came to teach, and, instead of inculcating the pure 
doctrines and precepts of Christianity, merely amused the 
people with empty and childish pageantry. The presenta- 
tion of beads, Agni Dei, images of the Madonna and 
saints ; the splendid processions ; the rich furniture and 
solemn ceremonies of the church, dazzled the eyes of the 
savage natives, and made them view Christianity only as 
a gay and pompous pageant, in which it would be an 
amusement to join. The sacrament of baptism, to which 
the Catholics attach such pre-eminent importance, was 
chiefly recommended by a part of the ritual that consisted 
in putting into the mouth a certain quantity of salt, which, 
in Congo, is an extremely rare and valued commodity ; and 
the missionaries were not a little disconcerted to find that 
he very form by which the natives expressed baptism w T as 
" to eat salt." Thus an immense body of the people were 
very speedily baptized and called Christians, but without 
any idea of the duties and obligations which that sacred 
name imposes. There was, however, one point which the 
missionaries soon began very conscientiously, and perhaps 
in rather too hasty and peremptory a manner, to enforce. 
Appalled by the host of wives that surrounded every Afri- 
can prince or chief, who fulfilled for him every purpose 
of state and domestic service, and whom it had been his con- 
stant study and pride to multiply, the missionaries made a 
call on their converts to select one, and to make a sweeping 
dismissal of all the others. This was considered an un- 
warrantable inroad on one of the most venerated institutions 
of the realm of Congo. To the aged monarch the privation 
appeared so intolerable that he thereupon renounced his 
Christian profession, and plunged again into the abyss of 
pagan superstition. Happily, Alphonso, the youthful heir- 
apparent; saw nothing so dreadful in the sacrifice ; he 
cheerfully submitted to it, and, braving his father's dis- 
pleasure, remained attached to the Portuguese. The old 
king dying soon after, the zealous convert became entitled 
to reign ; but his brother, Panso Aquitimo, supported by 
the nobles and almost the whole nation, raised the standard 
of rebellion in support of polygamy and paganism. A civil 
war ensued, in which the prince had little more than a 
E 2 



54 PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 

handful of Portuguese to oppose to the innumerable host of 
his rebel countrymen ,; however, in consequence, as his ad* 
herents believed, of the appearance in the clouds, at ono 
time of St. James, and at another of the Virgin Mary, he 
always came off victorious. Doubtless the better arms and 
discipline of the Portuguese rendered them superior in the 
field to the tumultuary host of their rude assailants. 

Alphonso being thus firmly seated on his throne, the 
missionaries for a time secured a safe and comfortable esta- 
blishment in Congo. Being reinforced by successive bo- 
dies of their brethren, they spread over the neighbouring 
countries, Sundi, Pango, Concobella, Maopongo, many 
tracts of which were rich and populous, though the state 
of society was often extremely rude. Every where their 
career was nearly similar. The people gave them the most 
cordial reception, nocked in crowds to witness and to share 
in the pomp of their ceremonies, accepted with thankful- 
ness their sacred gifts, and received by thousands the rite 
of baptism. They were not, however, on this account pre- 
pared to renounce their ancient habits and superstitions. 
The inquisition, which was speedily instituted among their 
ecclesiastical arrangements, caused a sudden revulsion ; 
and the missionaries thenceforth maintained only a preca* 
rious and even a perilous position. They were much re- 
proached, it appears, for the rough and violent methods 
employed to effect their pious purposes ; and though they 
treat the accusation as most unjust, some of the proceed- 
ings of w r hich they boast with the greatest satisfaction 
tend not a little to countenance the charge. When, for ex- 
ample, they could not persuade the people to renounce their 
idols, they used a large staff with which they threw them 
down and beat them in pieces ; they even sometimes stole 
secretly into the temples and set them on fire. A mission- 
ary at Maopongo having met one of the queens, and finding 
her mind inaccessible to all his instructions, determined to use 
sharper remedies, and, seizing a whip, began to apply it to 
her majesty's person. The effect he describes as most au- 
spicious ; every successive blow opened her eyes more and 
more to the truth, and she at length declared herself wholly 
unable to resist such affecting arguments in favour of the 
Catholic doctrine. It was found, however, that she had 
hastened to the king with loud complaints respecting thi* 



PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 55 

mode of spiritual illumination, and the missionaries thence 
forth lost all favour both with that prince and the ladies of 
his court, being allowed to remain solely through dread of 
the Portuguese. In only one other instance were they 
permitted to employ this mode of conversion. The smith, 
in consequence of the skill, strange in the eyes of a rude 
people, with which he manufactured various arms and im- 
plements, was viewed by them as possessing a measure of 
superhuman power ; and he had thus been encouraged to 
advance pretensions to the character of a divinity, which 
were very generally admitted. The missionaries appealed 
to the king respecting this impious assumption ; and that 
prince, conceiving it to interfere w^ith the respect due to 
himself, agreed to deliver into their hands the unfortunate 
smith, to be converted into a mortal in any manner they 
might judge efficacious. After a short and unsuccessful 
argument, they had recourse to the above potent instrument 
of conversion ; yet Vulcan, deserted in this extremity by all 
his votaries, made still a firm stand for his celestial dignity, 
till the blood began to stream from his back and shoulders, 
when he finally yielded, and renounced all pretensions to a 
divine origin. 

Farther acquaintance discovered other irregularities, 
against which a painful struggle was to be maintained. It 
was a prevailing practice, that before marriage the two par- 
ties should live together for some time, and make trial of 
each other's tempers and inclinations, before they formed 
the final engagement. To this system of probation the 
people were most obstinately attached, and the missionaries 
in vain denounced it, calling upon them at once either to 
marry or to separate. The young ladies were always the 
most anxious to have the full benefit of this experimental 
process ; and the mothers, on being referred to, refused to 
incur responsibility, and expose themselves to the reproaches 
of their daughters, by urging them to an abridgment of 
the trial, of which they might afterward repent. The mis- 
sionaries seem to have been most diligent in the task, as 
they call it, of "reducing strayed souls to matrimony." 
Father Benedict succeeded with no less than six hundred ; 
but he found it such "laborious w r ork," that he fell sick 
and died in consequence. Another subject of deep regret 
respected the many superstitious practices still prevalent, 



56 PORTUGUESE DISCOVERIES. 

even among those who exhibited some sort of Christian 
profession. Sometimes the children brought for baptism 
proved to be bound with magic cords, to which the mothers, 
as an additional security from evil, had fastened beads, 
relics, and figures of the Agnus Dei. The chiefs, in like 
manner, while they gladly availed themselves of the protec 
tion promised from the wearing of crucifixes and images of 
the Virgin, were unprepared to part with the enchanted 
rings, and other pagan amulets, with which they had been , 
accustomed to form a panoply around their persons. In 
case of dangerous illness, sorcery had been always contem- 
plated as the main or sole remedy ; and those who rejected 
its use were reproached as rather allowing their sick rela- 
tions to die than incur the expense of a conjurer. But the 
most general and most pernicious application of magic 
was made in judicial proceedings. When a charge was 
advanced against any individual, no one ever thought of in- 
quiring into the facts, or of collecting evidence ; every case 
was decided by preternatural tests. The magicians pre- 
pared a beverage, which produced on the guilty person, ac- 
cording to the measure of his iniquity, spasm, fainting, or 
death, but left the innocent quite free from harm. It seems 
a sound conclusion of the missionaries, that the draught was 
Hiodified according to the good or ill will of the magicians, 
or the liberality of the supposed culprit. This trial, called 
the bolungo, was indeed renounced by the king, but only to 
substitute another, in which the accused was made to ben4 
over a large basin of water, when, if he fell in, he was con- 
cluded guilty. At other times, a bar of red-hot iron was 
passed along the leg, or the arm was thrust into scalding 
water; and if the natural effects followed, the person's 
head was immediately struck off. Snail-shells, applied to 
the temples, if they stuck, inferred guilt. When a dispute 
arose between man and man, the plan was to place a shell 
on the head of each, and make them stoop ; when he from 
off whose head the shell first dropped had a verdict found 
against him. While we wonder at the deplorable ignorance 
on which these practices were founded, we must not forget 
that the "judgments of God" as they were termed, em- 
ployed by our sage ancestors during the middle ages, were 
founded on the same unenlightened views, and were in some 
cases absolutely identical. 



EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 5? 

Other powers of still higher name held sway over the de- 
luded minds of the people of Congo. Some ladies of rank 
went about beating a drum before them, with dishevelled 
hair, and pretending to work magical cures. There was 
also a race of mighty conjurers, called Scingilli, who had 
the power of giving and withdrawing rain at pleasure ; and 
they had a king called Ganja Chitorne, or God of the Earth, 
to whom its first-fruits were regularly offered. This per- 
son never died ; but when tired of his sway on earth, he 
nominated his successor and killed himself, — a step doubt- 
less prompted by the zeal of his followers, when they saw 
any danger of his reputation for immortality being compro- 
mised. This class argued strongly in favour of their vo- 
cation, as not only useful, but absolutely essential ; since 
without it the earth would be deprived of those influences by 
which alone it was enabled to minister to the wants of man. 
The people accordingly viewed with the deepest alarm any 
idea of giving offence to beings whose wrath might be dis- 
played in devoting the land to utter sterility. 

We do not possess any record of the period or the manner 
in which the Portuguese and their missionaries were ex- 
pelled from Congo ; but a late expedition did not find on 
the banks of the Zaire any trace or even recollection of 
either. 



CHAPTER V. 

Early English Discoveries. 

The Portuguese, while they bore away the palm of mari- 
time enterprise from all other nations, considered Africa 
most especially as a region which they had won for them- 
selves, and had covered with trophies of discovery and vic- 
tory. But after being subjected to the cruel and degrading 
yoke of Philip II. of Spain, they lost all their spirit and 
energy. Under the same influence, they became involved 
in hostility with the Dutch, who had risen to the first rank as 
i nival people, and whose squadrons successively stripped 



58 EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 

them of their most important possessions in this continent ae 
well as in the East Indies. In 1637, Elmina itself, their 
capital, fell into the hands of these bold and successful 
rivals ; and at present, the boasted lords and rulers of 
Guinea have not an acre left of their extensive dominions 
along the whole western coast ; they retain only the Ma- 
deiras, Canaries, and other islands, which certainly are not 
destitute of beauty, and even of some degree of political and 
commercial value. 

The Dutch did not remain long undisputed masters of 
the seas. The glorious and splendid results which had 
arisen from the discovery of the East and West Indies 
caused the ocean to be generally viewed as the grand theatre 
where wealth and glory were to be gained. The French 
and English nations, whose turn it was to take the lead in 
European affairs, pressed eagerly forward in this career, 
endeavouring at once to surpass their predecessors and each 
other. Many of their African settlements were formed 
with the view of securing a supply of slaves for their West 
India possessions. But a more distant, more innocent, 
and more brilliant object also attracted their attention. 
Flattering reports had reached Europe of the magnitude of 
the gold trade carried on at Timbuctoo and along the Niger. 
Letters were even received from Morocco, representing its 
treasures as surpassing those of Mexico and Peru. On that 
side, indeed, the immense Desert and its barbarous inha- 
bitants rendered these central regions almost inaccessible ; 
but there was another channel which appeared to open the 
fairest and most tempting prospects. According to all the 
geographical systems of that age, the great river Niger, 
which flowed through the interior of the continent, and by 
whose alluvion its plains were covered with gold, was un- 
derstood to empty itself into the Atlantic either by the Se- 
negal or Gambia, or, as was more commonly supposed, by 
both these rivers, imagined to be branches proceeding from 
the great stream. By ascending either the Senegal or Gam- 
bia, it therefore seemed possible to reach Timbuctoo and the 
country of Gold ; and this became a favourite object with 
several European nations. 

In 1618, a company was formed in England for the pur- 
pose of exploring the Gambia. They sent out, that same 
year, Richard Thompson, a person of spirit and enterprise 



EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 59 

in charge of the Catherine of 120 tons, with a cargo worth 
nearly two thousand pounds sterling. In the month of 
December he entered the river ; and proceeding as high as 
Kassan, a fortified town, where he left most of his crew, 
he pushed on in boats. The Portuguese, who were still 
numerous in that district, and retained all their lofty claims, 
were seized with bitter jealousy at this expedition mado 
by a foreign and rival power. Led on by Hector Nunez, 
they furiously attacked the party which had been left at 
Kassan, and succeeded in making a general massacre of 
the English. Thompson, on learning these dreadful 
tidings, although unable to make any effort to avenge the 
slaughter of his countrymen, still maintained his station on 
the river, and sent home encouraging accounts of the ge- 
neral prospects of the undertaking. The company listened 
to his statement, and sent out another vessel, which unfor- 
tunately arrived at an improper season, and lost most of the 
crew by sickness. Even yet they were not dismayed, but, 
retaining their ardour unabated, fitted out a third and larger 
expedition, consisting of the Sion of 200 tons, and the St. 
John of 50, and gave the command to Richard Jobson, to 
whom we are indebted for the first satisfactory account of 
the great river-districts of Western Africa. 

Jobson entered the Gambia in November, 1620 ; but 
what was his dismay on receiving the tidings that Thomp- 
son had perished by the hands of his own men ! Mutiny 
was then a frequent occurrence on these hard and distant 
services ; but how it arose in this case, or who was to 
blame, was never dmy investigated. The crew are said to 
have been unanimous in representing the conduct of their 
leader as oppressive and intolerable ; but, in regard to a 
man of undoubted spirit and enterprise, and who fell the 
first of so many victims in the cause of African discovery, 
we should not receive too readily the report of those who 
had so deep an interest in painting his character in the 
darkest colours. 

Jobson, notwithstanding the shock caused by this intelli- 
gence, did not suffer himself to be discouraged, but pushing 
briskly up the river, soon arrived at Kassan. The Portu- 
guese inhabitants in general had fled before his arrival, 
while the few who remained professed, in respect to Hector 
Nunez and the massacre of the English crew, an ignorance, 



60 EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 

and even a horror, for which he gave them very little credit. 
He had reason, on the contrary, to believe that they were 
forming a scheme of attack, and even urging the natives to 
rise against the English ; and such was the dread of their 
machinations that scarcely any one could be prevailed on to 
act as his pilot. Notwithstanding these suspicions and 
alarms, he still pursued his course ; but after passing the 
falls of Barraconda he found himself involved in great diffi- 
culties. The ascent was to be made against a rapid cur- 
rent : the frequencjr of hidden rocks made it dangerous to 
sail in the night ; and the boat often struck upon sand-banks 
and shallows, when it was necessary for the crew to strip 
and go into the water, in order to push it over these ob- 
stacles. They were once obliged to carry it a mile and a 
half, till they found a deeper channel. 

The English now beheld an entirely new world, and a 
new aspect of nature. On every side there were immense 
forests of unknown trees, while both the land and the water 
were inhabited by multitudes of savage animals, whose 
roarings every night filled the air. Sometimes twenty cro- 
codiles were seen together in the stream, and their voices, 
calling as it were to each other, resembled the " sound of a 
deep well," and might be heard at the distance of a league. 
Sea-horses also were observed tossing and snorting in every 
pool ; while elephants appeared in huge herds on the shore : 
at one place there were sixteen in a single troop. These 
last animals were an object of great terror to the natives, of 
whom only a few durst attack them with their long poisoned 
lances and assagays ; but whenever vne English made a 
movement against them, they fled like forest-deer, while, by 
their swiftness, they eluded all pursuit. Three balls were 
lodged in one individual, yet he made off, but was afterward 
found dead by the negroes. Lions, ounces, and leopards 
were also seen at a little distance ; but, amid the alarms in- 
spired by these formidable creatures, the sailors were 
amused by observing the various evolutions of the monkey 
tribe. The baboons marched along, sometimes in herds of 
several thousands, with several of the tallest in front, under 
the guidance of a principal leader, the lesser following be- 
hind, while a band of larger size brought up the rear. 
" Thus do they march on, and are very bold." At night, as 
they took their stand upon the hills, filling the air with con- 



EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 61 

fused cries, " one great voice would exalt itself, and the rest 
were all hushed." They mounted the trees to look at the 
English, the sight of whom seemed to inspire dissatis- 
faction; they grinned, shook the boughs violently, uttered 
angry cries, and when any overtures were made towards ac- 
quaintance, ran off at full speed. The crew shot one ; but 
before they could reach the spot, the rest had carried it off. 
On tracing these creatures to their haunts in the depths of 
the forest, recesses were found, where the foliage had been 
so intertwined above, and the ground beaten so smooth be- 
neath, as made it difficult to believe that these " bowers for 
dancing and disport" had not been framed by human hands. 

Amid these difficulties and adventures, the party ar- 
rived at Tenda on the 26th January, 1621, where they ex- 
pected to meet with Buckar Sano, the chief merchant oft 
the Gambia. This personage accordingly waited on them ; 
but being treated with brandy, used it so immoderately that 
he lay all night dead drunk in the boat. However, he seems 
on this occasion to have been merely off his guard, as he 
acted ever after a very discreet and prudent part. He not 
only carried on traffic himself, but was employed as an 
agent in managing all the transactions of others. His good 
faith, however, seems to have been rendered somewhat 
doubtful by the accounts which he gave to Jobson of a city 
four months' journey in the interior, the roofs of which w T ere 
covered with gold. 

The report of a vessel come up to trade caused a great 
resort from the neighbouring districts ; and the natives, 
rearing temporary hovels, soon formed a little village on each 
side of the river. Speedily there appeared five hundred of 
a ruder race, covered with skins of wild animals, "the 
tails hanging as from the beasts." The women, who had 
never before seen a white man, ran away ; but the sight of 
a few beads soon allured them to return. Unluckily, the 
universal cry was for salt, — a commodity deficient and much 
desired through all Central Africa ; but Jobson, not duly 
apprized of this, had not laid in a sufficient stock. Every 
thing else was lightly prized in comparison ; and many who 
were coming to swell the market, on learning this omission, 
instantly turned back. He obtained in exchange gold and 
ivory, and could have got hides in abundance, had they not 
been too bulky a commodity to bear the expense of conveyance. 
F 



62 EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 

Buckar Sano undertook to introduce the English at the 
court of Tenda. On reaching the king's presence, they 
witnessed an example of the debasing homage usually paid 
to negro princes, and of which Clapperton, in Eyeo, after- 
ward saw several striking instances. The great and wealthy 
merchant, on appearing in the presence of the king, first fell 
on his knees, then throwing off his shirt, extended himself 
naked and flat on the ground, while his attendants almost 
buried him beneath dust and mud. After grovelling for 
some time in this prone position, he started up, shook off the 
earth, which two of his wives assisted in clearing from his 
person, and he was then speedily equipped in his best attire, 
with bow and quiver. He and his attendants, after having 
made a semblance of shooting at Jobson, laid their bows at 
his feet, which was understood as a token of homage ; the 
king even assured the English captain that the country and 
every thing in it were thus placed at his disposal. In return 
for gifts so magnificent, it was impossible to refuse a few 
bottles of excellent brandy ; the value of which, however, 
Jobson never expected to realize from these regal dona- 
tions. 

The English commander soon found himself in the middle 
of the dry season, and the river sinking lower and lower ; 
yet he still made a hard struggle to ascend, animated by the 
deceitful or inflated reports of Buckar Sano concerning the 
city of gold. At the distance of a few days' journey he heard 
of Tombaconda, which he conjectured to be Timbuctoo. 
The conclusion was most erroneous, that city being distant 
nearly a thousand miles ; but Europeans had formed as yet 
no adequate idea of the dimensions of Africa. At length 
the stream became so shallow that Jobson found it in vain 
to attempt ascending higher. He began his voyage down- 
ward on the 10th February, proposing to make a fresh 
attempt during the season when the periodical rains should 
have filled the channel. This purpose was never executed. 
Both he and the company became involved in quarrels with 
the merchants, against whom he bitterly inveighs as persons 
who entirely disregarded every object beyond their own im- 
mediate profit. 

Jobson earlier, perhaps, than any other Englishman, had 
an opportunity of observing the manners and superstitions 
vbich are peculiar to native Africa. He found each prince 




fcroup of 'Figures— Chief Jillemen or Native Musicians, ami 
Gregree Man or Magician.— [p. 63.] 



EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 63 

or chief attended by bands of musical bards, whom he digni- 
fies with the title of "juddies or fiddlers," and compares 
them to the Irish rhymesters. These are called, as we 
learn from other authors, Jelle, or Jillemen, and perform on 
several instruments rudely formed of wood, making a very 
loud noise. These minstrels, with the Greegree men, or 
magicians, most fantastically attired, often form singular 
groups, as exhibited in the accompanying plate. The two 
chief festivals were those of circumcision and of funeral. The 
former, performed in a very rough manner, attracted the 
whole country; the forest blazed with fires, while loud 
music, shouts, and dancing resounded throughout the night. 
At the funeral of chiefs there was much crying and lament- 
ation, conducted in a somewhat mechanical manner, which 
reminded him of the Irish howl. Flowers of the sweetest 
scent were buried along with the deceased, and much gold 
was deposited for his service in the other world ; but there 
is no mention of those human sacrifices which form so foul 
a blot on some of the most civilized African nations. At all 
festivals a conspicuous place was acted by a personage 
called Horey, which name our author interprets " the Devil." 
This being took his station in the adjoining woods, whence 
he sent forth tremendous sounds, supposed to be of sinister 
portent to all within hearing. The only remedy was to de- 
posite, as near to the spot as any one would venture, a large 
supply of" belly-timber," the speedy disappearance of which 
authenticated to the villagers both the existence of this su- 
pernatural being and the fact of his having been appeased. 
To Jobson, on the contrary, this very circumstance, com- 
bined with the severe hoarseness with which sundry of the 
natives were afflicted, afforded a clew to the origin of this 
extraordinary roaring. Of this he had soon ocular demon- 
stration. Happening, in company with a marabout, to hear 
the Horey in full cry from a neighbouring thicket, he seized 
a loaded musket, declaring aloud his resolution forthwith to 
discharge the contents at his infernal majesty. The mara- 
bout implored him to stop ; the tremendous sound was 
changed into a low and fearful tone ; and Jobson, on run- 
ning to the spot, found this mighty demon in the shape of a 
huge negro, extended on the ground in such agonies of fear 
that he was unable even to ask for mercy. 

The company, amid the divisions already alluded to, do 



64 EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 

not appear to have prosecuted farther their designs of dis- 
covery. The next attempt was made about 1660 or 1665, by 
Vermuyden, a rich merchant on the Gambia, who fitted out 
a boat well stored with beef, bacon, biscuit, rice, strong wa- 
ters, and other comfortable supplies ; which, however, when 
he arrived at the flats and shallows, were found materially 
to impede the movement of the vessel. He came first to a 
wide expanse which he compares to Windermere lake, where 
the only difficulty was to find the main branch amid several 
that opened from different quarters. "Up the buffing 
stream," says he, " with sad labour we wrought ;" and when 
they ascended higher, it became necessary often to drag the 
boat over the flats ; for which purpose they were frequently 
obliged to Strip naked and walk through the water. They 
were rather rudely received by the only tenants of these 
upper tracts, the crocodiles and river-horses, " ill pleased or 
unacquainted with any companions in these watery regions." 
One of the latter struck a hole in the boat with his teeth, an 
accident which proved very inconvenient, from the absence 
of any one skilled in carpentry ; but by hanging a lantern 
at the stern, they induced these monsters, which are afraid 
of light shining in the dark, to maintain a respectful dis- 
tance. On landing to search for gold, they were assailed 
by an incredible number of huge baboons, on which it is 
complained that no oratory except guns could produce any 
impression ; and even after two or three of them had been 
killed, they attacked with increased and alarming fury, till 
successive discharges at length compelled them to retreat. 
The sole object in this voyage was the discovery of gold. 
The adventurer landed at various points, washed the sand, 
and examined the rocks. He had carried out not only mer- 
cury, aqua regia, and large melting pots, but also a divining 
rod, which was not found to exhibit any virtue ; however, 
on being laughed at by his companions for his delusive ex- 
pectations from it, he persuaded himself that this potent in- 
strument had lost its qualities by being dried up during the 
voyage from England. On one occasion he found a large 
mass of apparent gold, which proved to be mere spar. The 
real metal, he observes, is never found in low, fertile, and 
woody spots, but always on naked and barren hills, imbedded 
in a reddish earth. At one place, by twenty days' labour, 
he succeeded in extracting twelve pounds. At length he 



EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 65 

declares, that he arrived " at the mouth of the mine itself, 
and saw gold in such abundance as surprised him with joy 
and admiration." However, he gives no notice of the posi- 
tion of this famous mine, the existence of which has not 
been confirmed by any subsequent observer. 

It was not till 1720 that the spirit of African discovery 
again revived in England. The Duke of Chandos, then 
director of the African Company, concerned at the declining 
state of their affairs, entertained the idea of retrieving them 
by opening a path into the golden regions still reported to 
exist in the interior of Africa. At his suggestion, the com- 
pany, in 1723, furnished Captain Bartholomew Stibbs with 
the usual means for sailing up the Gambia. On the 7th 
October this navigator arrived at James Island, the English 
settlement, about thirty miles from the mouth of the river, 
whence he immediately wrote to Mr. Willy, the governor, 
who happened to be then visiting the factory of Joar, more 
than a hundred miles distant, asking him to engage canoes. 
He received for answer that there were none to be had, and 
was almost distracted to learn that Mr. Willy was giving 
himself no concern about the affair. Some days after, how- 
ever, a boat brought down the dead body of the governor, 
who had fallen a victim to the fever of the climate, which 
had previously affected his brain. Thus, notwithstanding 
every exertion of Orfeur, who succeeded him, the equip- 
ment of the boats was delayed till the 11th December, when 
the unfavourable season was fast approaching. Stibbs had 
assigned to him a crew of nineteen white men, of whom one 
indeed was as black as coal, but being a Christian, ranked 
as white, and served as interpreter ; likewise twenty -nine 
grumettas, or hired negroes, with three female cooks ; and 
he afterward took on board a balafeu, or native musician, to 
enliven the spirits of the party. 

Stibbs set out on the 26th of December, and the voyage 
proceeded for some time very agreeably. The English were 
every where well received, and at one place even a saphie, 
or charm, had been laid upon the bank for the purpose of 
drawing them on shore. The captain had endeavoured to 
conceal his object, but in vain ; he found himself every 
where pointed out as the person who was come to bring 
down the gold. The native crew, however, predicted the 
most fearful disaster if he should attempt to proceed above 
F2 



66 EARLY ENGLISH DISCOVERIES. 

the falls of Barraconda. As the boats approached that fatal 
boundary, the Africans came in a body, and stated their 
firm determination on no account to proceed any farther. 
]Vo one, they said, had ever gone beyond Barraconda,—- 
Barraconda was the end of the world, — or if there existed 
any thing beyond, it was a frightful and barbarous region 
where life would be in continual danger. A long palaver 
and a bottle of Stibbs's very best brandy were necessary ere 
they would agree to accompany him beyond this dreaded 
boundary of the habitable universe. 

The falls of Barraconda were not found so formidable as 
rumour had represented ; they were narrows rather than 
falls, the channel being confined by rocky ledges and frag- 
ments, between which there was only one passage, where 
the canoes rubbed against the rock on each side. In this 
region of the Upper Gambia, the natives, belying all slan- 
derous rumours, proved to be a harmless, good-humoured 
people, who, wherever the crew landed, met them with pre- 
sents of fowls and provisions. 

The severest exertion now became necessary in order to 
pass the flats and quicksands, which multiplied in proportion 
as they ascended, and over which the boats in some instances 
could only be dragged by main force. The wild and huge 
animals that occupy these regions appeared still more dan- 
gerous to the present adventurers than to their predecessors. 
The elephants, which had fled precipitately before Jobson, 
struck the greatest terror into this party ; one of them on a 
certain occasion putting to flight the whole crew. They 
were even seen in bands crossing from one side of the water 
to the other. The river-horses also presented themselves 
every where in numerous herds ; and though this animal 
generally moved in a sluggish and harmless manner, yet in 
the shallow places, when walking along the bottom of the 
river, he occasionally came into collision with the boat ; in- 
censed at which, he was apt to strike a hole through it with 
his huge teeth, so as to endanger its sinking. If the cou- 
rage of the crew against these mighty animals was not very 
conspicuous, their exertions in dragging the boat over the 
flats and shallows appear to have been most strenuous ; yet 
so extremely unfavourable was the season, that at the end 
of two months Stibbs found himself, on the 22d February, 
when he had reached fifty-nine miles above Barraconda > 



FRENCH DISCOVERIES. 67 

# 

obliged to stop short even of Tenda, and consequently of the 
point to which Jobson had formerly attained. 

The commander, on his return, after making every allow- 
ance for the inauspicious season and circumstances, could 
not forbear expressing deep disappointment in regard to the 
expectations with which he had ascended the Gambia. He 
saw no appearance of that mighty channel which was to 
lead into the remote interior of Africa, and through so many 
great kingdoms. He declared his conviction that " its ori- 
ginal or head is nothing near so far in the country as by the 
geographers has been represented." It did not of course 
appear to him to answer in any respect the descriptions 
given of the Niger, — it nowhere bore that name — it did not 
come out of any lake that he could hear of— it had no 
communication with the Senegal or any other great river. 
The natives reported that at twelve days* journey above 
Barraconda it dwindled into a rivulet, and " fowls walked 
over it." These statements were received most reluctantly 
and skeptically by Moore, now the company's factor on the 
Gambia, and a man of spirit and intelligence. He had even 
acquired some learning on the subject, and endeavoured to 
overwhelm Stibbs with quotations from Herodotus, Leo, 
Edrisi, and other high authorities. The mariner, though 
quite unable to cope with him in this field of discussion, did 
not the less steadily assert the plain facts which he had seen 
with his own eyes ; and a degree of discouragement was 
felt, which prevented any other exploratory voyage from 
being undertaken for a considerable time into that part of 
the African continent. 



CHAPTER VI. 

French Discoveries. 



France did not embark so early as some of the other 
powers in African discovery. Louis XIV., aided by his 
minister Colbert, was the first prince who studied to raise 
his kingdom to a high rank as a commercial and maritime 



68 FRENCH DISCOVERIES. 

power. But, unfortunately, according to the spirit of the 
time, the only mode in which he ever thought of promoting 
any branch of trade, was by vesting it in an exclusive com- 
pany ; and when, according to the usual fate of such asso- 
ciations, one was involved in bankruptcy, another immedi- 
ately supplied its place. Thus four successive companies 
rose and fell, till at length they all merged in that greatest 
and most fatal delusion, the Mississippi scheme. However, 
these copartneries, at their first formation, attracted many 
individuals of opulence and talent, and generally opened 
with a spirited career of enterprise and discovery. While 
the English sought to ascend the Gambia, the Senegal was 
the Niger to the French — the stream by which they hoped 
to penetrate upwards to Timbuctoo and the regions of gold. 
At the mouth of this river, about the year 1626, was founded 
the settlement of St. Louis, which has ever since continued 
to be the capital of the French possessions in Africa. 

The first person who brought home any accounts of 
French Africa was Jannequin, a young man of some rank, 
who, seeing, as he walked along the quay at Dieppe, a vessel 
bound for this unknown continent, took a sudden fancy to 
embark and make the voyage. The adventurers sailed on 
the 5th November, 1637, and touched at the Canaries ; but 
the first spot on the continent where they landed was a part 
of the Sahara, near Cape Blanco. Jannequin was struck, 
in an extraordinary degree, with the desolate aspect of this 
region. It consisted wholly of a plain of soft sand, in which 
the feet were buried at every step ; and a man, after walk- 
ing fifty paces, was overwhelmed with fatigue. At Senegal 
the colony was found in so imperfect a state that the sailors 
were obliged to rear huts for their own accommodation ; and, 
slight as these were, the labour under a burning sun was 
very severe. In ascending the river, however, he was de- 
lighted with the brilliant verdure of the banks, the majestic 
beauty of the trees, and the thick impenetrable underwood. 
Amid the deep solitude which distinguished the country, all 
the forests were filled with echoes. The natives received 
him hospitably, and he was much struck by their individual 
strength and courage, decidedly surpassing, as appeared to 
him, the similar qualities in Europeans. He saw a Moorish 
chief, called the Kamalingo, who, mounting on horseback, 
and brandishing three javelins and a cutlass, engaged a lion 



FRENCH DISCOVERIES. 69 

in single combat, and vanquished that mighty king of the 
desert. Flat noses and thick lips, so remote from his own 
ideas of the beautiful, were considered on the Senegal as 
forming the perfection of the human visage ; nay, he even 
fancies that they were produced by artificial processes. He 
was surprised by the enormous number of greegrees, or 
charms, in which the chiefs were enveloped. All the perils, 
of water, of wild beasts, and of battle, had an appropriate 
charm, by which the owner was secured against them. 
These potent greegrees were merely slips of paper, which 
the marabouts, or Mussulman doctors, had inscribed with 
Arabic characters ; and being then enclosed in cases of thick 
cloth, or even of gold and silver, were hung round the per- 
son in such profusion that they actually formed a species of 
armour. In some instances they composed such a load that 
the possessor was unable to mount on horseback without as- 
sistance. 

The Sieur Brae, who, in 1697, was appointed director- 
general of the company's affairs, was the person who did 
most for their prosperity, and made the greatest efforts to 
penetrate into the interior. In that year he embarked on a 
visit to the Siratik, or king of the Foulahs, whose territory 
lay about 400 miles up the Senegal. In ascending that 
river he was struck, like Jannequin, by the magnificent 
forests, and the profuse and luxuriant verdure with which 
they were clothed ; while it was amusing to observe the 
numberless varieties of the monkey tribe, which were conti- 
nually leaping from bough to bough. Elephants marched 
in bands of forty or fifty ; and large herds of cattle fed on 
the rich meadows, though, during the season of inundation, 
they withdrew to the more elevated spots. At Kahayde, he 
was received by a chief belonging to the Siratik, accom- 
panied by numerous attendants, among whom w r ere his wife, 
daughters, and some female slaves, all mounted upon asses. 
He was cordially welcomed ; yet the reflection suggested by 
his dealings with this gay and fair train was, that European 
beggars, however great their effrontery, might learn much 
from the example of the higher circles in Africa. When 
they can no longer ask, they begin to borrow, with the firm 
resolution of never repaying ; and, what is worst of all, 
when they make a present, they hold it a deadly offence 
not to receive at least double the value in return. 



70 FRENCH DISCOVERIES. 

Brue sailed up the river, and landed at the port of 
Ghiorel ; then, with a party of armed attendants, set out for 
Gumel, about ten leagues in the interior, where the Siratik 
resided. At Ghiorel he was visited by Bukar Sir£, one of 
^the young princes, and afterward by the Kamalingo or ge- 
neral, and the Bouquenet, a venerable and aged negro, who 
filled an office similar to that of treasurer or prime minister. 
These two latter personages assured the director of the 
hearty welcome which awaited him at court ; intimating, 
at the same time, their readiness to receive the presents 
which he was understood to have brought to the Siratik. 
These accordingly were spread forth, and consisted of scar- 
let cloths, coloured worsteds, copper kettles, pieces of coral 
and amber, brandy, spices, and a few coins, in portions re- 
spectively destined for the king, his wives, and the illus- 
trious messengers ; yet these liberal gifts, though they 
amply satisfied the great personages who received them, 
did not drain the finances of the company, since the entire 
cost did not exceed sixty or seventy pounds. The country 
was found level, well cultivated, and filled with such nu- 
merous herds that the French with difficulty made their 
way through them. At a village called Buksar, the Sire* 
and his attendants again met them, brandishing their lances 
or assagayes, as if in the act to strike. This being ex- 
plained as meant for the greatest possible compliment, 
Brue, in return, cocked his pistol at the young prince, with 
whom he then spent the evening. After being introduced 
to several ladies of the court, he was entertained with sup- 
per, consisting of fruits, kouskous, and other simple pro- 
ducts of African cookery. Then followed the folgar or 
dance, the favourite amusement of the negroes ; but while 
all the youth of the village were tripping it gayly upon the 
green, amid songs and music, he found more gratification in 
the kalder, or conversation carried on by the old men seated 
on mats in a circle. Their manners were noble and digni- 
fied ; they showed retentive memories and quick apprehen- 
sions respecting the objects which came within their limited 
range of observation. 

He set out next morning for the residence of the Si- 
ratik, being met and escorted thither by the Kamalingo. 
He found that prince surrounded by none of those circum- 
stances which constitute in Europe the pomp of royalty. 



FRENCH DISCOVERIES. 71 

His palace was merely a cluster of mud cabins surrounded 
by a hedge of reeds. In one of these huts he reclined on a 
couch, while several of his wives and daughters sat round 
him on mats spread on the ground. The reception was 
perfectly friendly, and Brue even obtained permission to 
erect forts,— a privilege of which African princes are usually 
and indeed naturally jealous. The director was allowed 
full liberty to converse with the female circle, who were by 
no means held in that state of austere seclusion which gives 
such a gloom to Mussulman society. The ladies began to 
talk in the most lively and familiar manner ; and as Brue 
was thought to eye with admiration a handsome young 
princess of seventeen, she was tendered to him in marriage. 
He excused himself as one already joined in the bonds of 
matrimony ; but the ladies professed themselves quite un- 
able to conceive how this could form an objection, their 
young relative being of course prepared to share the honour 
with any reasonable number of rivals. It then behooved the 
director to explain the matrimonial system of Europe, which 
furnished, as it always does in Africa, ample ground for 
wonder and speculation. The lot of the French ladies was 
pronounced to be truly enviable ; but Brue's own situation 
was much commiserated, especially in his present state of 
separation from his only wife. 

The court being obliged to remove by the annoyance 
arising from a species of flying insect, Brue had an oppor- 
tunity of observing the royal procession travelling in order. 
First came a numerous body of mounted musicians, who, 
performing on various instruments, produced a noise at 
once deafening and discordant. Next followed the royal 
ladies, mounted on the backs of camels in large osier 
baskets, which so completely enveloped their persons that 
their heads only were seen peeping above. Their female 
domestics, riding by their side on asses, endeavoured to en- 
liven them by incessant talk. The baggage behind was 
borne by a long train of camels and asses ; while horsemen,, 
in military array, with the king and his principal nobles at 
their head, closed the procession. The director and his 
party, while all this gay train passed by, exchanged with 
them mutual courtesies and salutations. Having satisfac- 
torily accomplished the immediate object of his journey, 
Brue returned to St. Louis, 



72 FRENCH DISCOVERIES. 

In 1698, the same gentleman undertook another voyage, 
in which he aimed not merely at the limited objects above 
stated, but sought to ascend the Senegal as high as possible, 
and to open a commercial intercourse with the interior. In 
this voyage he had gained an amicable interview with the 
►Siratik, and employed four of his negroes in destroying an 
enormous lion which had infested the neighbourhood. Far- 
ther on he observed some peculiar forms of the animal crea- 
tion. The air for two hours was darkened by the passage 
of a cloud of locusts, and the boats were covered with their 
filth. Lions and elephants roamed in vast numbers ; but 
the latter were quite tame and harmless unless when at- 
tacked. Monkeys swarmed in their usual multitudes ; and 
in one place there was a species of a red colour, which ap- 
peared extremely surprised at the view of the strangers, and 
used to come in successive parties to gaze at them ; on 
which occasion they conversed with each other, and even 
threw down dry branches upon the boats. The French, we 
know not why, fired and killed several ; upon which they 
raised an extraordinary commotion, and sought, by throw- 
ing stones and sticks, to avenge the fall of their comrades ; 
but, soon finding the contest unequal, they retired for safety 
into the woods. The navigators were also introduced to a 
personage called " The King of the Bees," who, by the use 
of a particular charm, came to the boat surrounded by thou- 
sands of these insects, over which he exercised an absolute 
sway, guiding them as a shepherd does his sheep, and com- 
pletely securing all his friends against their formidable 
stings. 

On reaching Gallam, Brue found himself in a somewhat 
delicate position. Two rival princes disputed the throne, 
each holding, at his respective residence, a certain sway ; 
but each also claiming for himself the entire homage, and 
all the presents brought by the director. The legitimate 
prince, in particular, sent his son to remonstrate that his un- 
doubted claim ought not to be set aside for that of an ephe- 
meral usurper. The European, however, acting steadily on 
the principle of self-interest, endeavoured to ascertain which 
of the two sovereigns could most benefit the company; 
and, finding the real power chiefly in the hands of the rebel, 
bestowed on him the larger portion of good things. The 
other party was thereby so incensed that he even threatened 



FRENCH DISCOVERIES. 73 

an attack ; but the determined language of Brue, and the 
sight of the great guns which the French had on board, 
made him relinquish all hostile intentions. 

The director now reached Dramanet, a thriving town, in* 
habited by several rich merchants, who traded as far as Tim- 
buctoo, which, according to their computation, was five hun- 
dred leagues in the interior. This position was therefore 
thought the most convenient place for a fort, which was 
called St. Joseph, and continued long to be the principal seat 
of French commerce on the Upper Senegal. Brue then 
went up to Felu, where a large rock, crossing the river, 
forms a cataract, which it is almost impossible for vessels to 
pass. Quitting his boats, he proposed to ascend to the falls 
of Govinea, about forty leagues higher ; but the water was 
getting so low, that, fearing the navigation downward should 
be interrupted, he returned to St. Louis. 

Brue, in reply to numerous inquiries made by him on this 
journey, received accounts of the kingdom of Bambarra, of 
the L?.ke Maberia (Dibbie of Park), of Timbuctoo, of the 
caravans which came thither from Barbary, and even of 
masted vessels which were seen on the waters beyond. But 
the grand object of his research was the course of the Ni- 
ger, concerning which he received two quite opposite an- 
swers. According to some it flowed vjestward from the Lake 
Maberia, till it separated into the two channels of the Gam- 
bia and Senegal ; but other and juster reports represented 
it as being distinct from both these rivers, and as passing 
eastward beyond Timbuctoo. The testimonies transmitted 
to France in favour of this last opinion must have greatly 
preponderated, since both the great geographers, Delille and 
D'Anville, adopted this delineation ; and yet the popular 
opinion in that country, as well as through Europe in 
general, long continued to regard the Niger and Senegal as 
one and the same river. 

Beyond Gallam lay another more tempting region, Bam- 
bouk, which contains mines of gold, the most productive of 
all that are to be found in the interior of Western Africa. 
The difficulty of penetrating thither, however, was extreme, 
the natives having completely barred the frontier against 
white men, in consequence of the tyranny exercised by the 
Portuguese, who had ruled and oppressed the district till 
they were cut off or expelled by a general insurrection. 
G 



74 FRENCH DISCOVERIES. 

Many adventurers, after being induced by high bribes to wo* 
dertake the journey, successively declined the enterprise. 
At length one Compagnon, laden with valuable presents, 
ventured' to pass the boundary, and by his address succeeded 
in conciliating the inhabitants of the nearest village. A 
general alarm, however, spread through the country, when 
it was known that there was a white man within its pre- 
cincts ; and representations were sent, that, according to 
the ancient salutary laws, he should forthwith be put to 
death; — yet Compagnon, by presents and address, suc- 
ceeded in making his way from village to village. He con- 
trived to visit the principal districts, and even to carry off a 
portion of the ghingan, or golden earth, which forms the 
pride and wealth of Bambouk. Brue then transmitted to 
France various projects, and among others that of conquer- 
ing the country, which he undertook to effect with 1200 
men ; but such a degree of apathy prevailed at home, that 
none of these propositions made any impression. Subse- 
quent governors, however, directed their attention to the 
same subject : two of them, Levens and David, even visited 
Bambouk in person ; but no attempt was ultimately made 
either to conquer or to form settlements in that part of Africa. 
Indeed, though cither step might have been successful in the 
first instance, the possession of such a territory would in the 
end have proved both costly and precarious. 

From the accounts thus received, and which have been 
collected by Mr. Golberry, Bambouk appears to consist of a 
mass of lofty, naked, and barren mountains, and to contain 
scarcely any treasures, except those which are hid in the 
bowels of the earth. Besides, it is in the most arid and 
dreary spot of this gloomy region that the gold is found. 
Several hills in different quarters, not very high, but of con- 
siderable extent, have the same metallic substance distri- 
buted throughout, under the form of grains, spangles, and 
even of small lumps, which are always found larger in pro- 
portion to the depth of the bed. In the mine of Natakon 
the ore is mixed with earth, from which the precious dust is 
extracted by continued agitation in water ; or it adheres to 
fragments of iron, emery, and lapis lazuli, whence it is 
easily detached. In the mine of Semayla, on the contrary, 
it is imbedded in a hard reddish loam, mixed with other sub- 
stances still harder, from which it can be extracted only by 



FRENCH DISCOVERIES, 75 

reducing them all to a powder. This is effected by pound- 
ing them with a pestle of hard wood, which is soon worn 
away by the resistance of the mineral substances. This 
mine, therefore, though richer than the other, is less valuable. 
The Farims, who are absolute chiefs of Bambouk, allow the 
mining operations only at certain seasons, when they them- 
selves attend to levy a proportion of the proceeds. Two 
men, or two women, — for they are promiscuously employed 
in this occupation,— dig out the earth or other substances, 
which they hand to those who are to extract from it the 
gold. This metal they imagine to be a capricious being de- 
lighting to sport with their eager pursuit ; and when they 
find a rich vein suddenly become unproductive, they call out 
" He is off." The pit which is six feet in diameter, is dug 
to the depth of thirty or forty, when the workers are usually 
arrested by an impenetrable bed of reddish-coloured marble, 
which, from certain indications, Golberry is led to consider 
as only the covering of much more abundant veins. These 
pits or shafts, by means of ladders, are carried down with 
perpendicular sides, which often fall in and bury the unfor- 
tunate workmen. This, however, does not at all discom- 
pose the survivors. They apprehend that the Devil, or ra- 
ther a certain subterranean deity, having occasion for la- 
bourers to conduct his own operations underneath, seizes in 
this manner the best miners he can find on the surface of 
the earth. Nor do they feel the least surprise, though they 
cannot conceal their regret, when, in the course of working, 
they light upon the skeletons of the victims. The Devil, 
they fancy, has then found himself mistaken in his choice, 
and has rudely thrown them back to the place whence he 
had withdrawn them. 

The trade to Gallam appears, by the report of M. Sau- 
gnier, who undertook a voyage thither, to have been very 
profitable when carried on with success. Gold, ivory, and 
slaves could be purchased on easy terms ; and the natives, 
called Serawoolies, were intelligent and active, though in- 
clined to be thievish. The voyage, however, is liable to 
many vicissitudes, the navigation often dangerous, and the 
natives on shore perpetually on the watch for plunder, espe- 
cially the princes or robbers ; which terms in Africa are 
nearly synonymous. The French government, also, had 
issued instructions not to proceed to great extremities 



76 FRENCH DISCOVERIES. 

against these high-born pilferers ; and hence Satignier com- 
plains, that though he had at one time eight royal person- 
ages on board of his vessel as prisoners, he durst not turn 
them to any account. In this way the adventure was 
almost as likely to ruin as to enrich the person who under- 
took it. 

The chief prosperity of the French settlements on the 
Senegal was derived from the gum-trade, of which Gol- 
berry has given a lively description. To the north of this 
river, where its fertile borders pass into the boundless de- 
serts of the Sahara, grow large forests of that species of 
acacia from which the gum distils. It is crooked and 
stunted, resembling rather a bush or shrub than a tree. No 
incision is necessary ; for under the influence of the hot 
winds the bark dries and cracks in various places. The 
liquor exudes, but by its tenacity remains attached in the 
form of drops, which are as clear and transparent as the 
finest rock-crystal. The Moorish tribes, to whom these 
woods belong, break up about the beginning of December 
from their desert encampments, and proceed to the gum 
district in a tumultuous crowd ; the rich mounted on horses 
and camels, while the poor perform the journey on foot. 
Six weeks are spent in collecting the material ; after which 
it is conveyed to the great annual fair held on the banks of 
the Senegal. The scene of this merchandise is an im- 
mense plain of white and moving sand, the desolate mono- 
tony of which is not broken by a single herb or a shrub. 
Here the French take their stand to await the arrival of the 
Moors. On the appointed morning they hear at a distance 
the confused noise of their armies in motion. Towards 
noon this vast and solitary plain appears covered with men, 
women, and animals innumerable, enveloped in clouds of 
dust. The chiefs ride beautiful horses ; while the females 
of rank are seated on the backs of camels, elegantly capa- 
risoned, in baskets covered with an awning. An incessant 
murmur pervades this barbarous assemblage, till, the whole 
having arrived, the camp is pitched, and a cannon fired as a 
signal for beginning the fair. The French relate, that 
every species of artifice and even threats are employed by 
these rude traffickers to enhance the price of their goods ; 
yet they themselves, it would appear, have little right to 
complain, inasmuch as they confess that they have insen- 



AFRICAN ASSOCIATION. 



77 



sibly, and without attracting the notice of their barbarous 
customers, raised the kantar, by which the gum is measured, 
from five hundred to two thousand pounds weight. 




CHAPTER VII. 

Early Proceedings of the African Association — Ledyard, 
Lucas, Houghton* 

The preceding narrative of French and English dis- 
coveries proves the imperfect success with which the earlier 
attempts to penetrate into the interior of Africa, though 
made by the most powerful nations of Europe, were at- 
tended. While the remotest extremities of land and sea in 
other quarters of the globe had been reached by British en- 
terprise, this vast region remained an unseemly blank in the 
map of the earth. Such a circumstance was felt as dis- 
creditable to a great maritime and commercial nation, as 
well as to the sciences upon which the extension of geogra- 
phical knowledge depends. To remove this reproach, a 
body of spirited individuals formed themselves into what 
G2 






78 LEDYARD. 

was termed the African Association. They subscribed the 
necessary funds, and sought out individuals duly qualified 
and possessed of sufficient courage to undertake such dis- 
tant and adventurous missions. A committee, composed of 
Lord Rawdon, afterward Marquis of Hastings, Sir Joseph 
Banks, the Bishop of Landaff, Mr. Beaufoy, and Mr. Stuart, 
were nominated managers. It seemed scarcely probable 
that the mere offer to defray travelling expenses, which was 
all the society's finances could afford should induce persons 
with the requisite qualifications to engage in journeys so 
long and beset with so many perils ; yet such is the native 
enterprise of Britons, that men eminently fitted for the task 
presented themselves, even in greater numbers than the 
society could receive. 

The first adventurer was Mr. Ledyard, who, born a tra- 
veller, had spent his life in passing from one extremity of the 
earth to another. He had sailed round the world with Cap- 
tain Cook, had lived for several years among the American 
Indians, and had made a journey with the most scanty 
means from Stockholm round the gulf of Bothnia, and 
thence to the remotest parts of Asiatic Russia, On his re- 
turn he presented himself to Sir Joseph Banks, to whom he 
owed many obligations, just as that eminent person was 
looking out for an African discoverer. He immediately pro- 
nounced Ledyard to be the very man he wanted, and re- 
commended him to Mr. Beaufoy, who was struck with his 
fine countenance, frank conversation, and an eye expressive 
of determined enterprise. Ledyard declared this scheme to 
be quite in unison with his own wishes ; and on being asked 
how soon he could set out, replied, '* To-morrow." Affairs 
were not yet quite so matured ; but he was soon after pror 
yided with a passage to Alexandria, with the view of first 
proceeding southward from Cairo to Sennaar, and thence 
traversing the entire breadth of the African continent. He 
arrived at Cairo on the 19th August, 1788, and while pre 
paring for his journey into the interior, transmitted some 
bold, original, though somewhat fanciful observations upon 
Egypt. He represents the Delta as an unbounded plain of 
excellent land miserably cultivated ; the villages as most 
wretched assemblages of poor mud-huts, full of dust, fleas, 
flies, and ail the curses of Moses ; and the people as below 
£&e rank of any savages &e ever saw, wearing only a bins 



LUCAS. 79 

shirt and drawers, and tattooed as much as the South Sea 
islanders. He bids his correspondents, if they wish to see 
Egyptian women, to look at any group of gipsies behind a 
hedge in Essex. The Mohammedans he describes as a 
trading, enterprising, superstitious, warlike set of vaga- 
bonds, who, wherever they are bent upon going, will and 
do go ; but he complains that the condition of a Frank is 
rendered most humiliating and distressing by the furious 
bigotry of the Turks. It seemed inconceivable that such 
enmity should exist among men, and that beings of the 
same species should think and act in a manner so opposite. 
By conversing with the jelabs, or slave-merchants, he 
learned a good deal respecting the caravan-routes and coun- 
tries of the interior. Every thing seemed ready for his 
departure, and he announced that his next communication 
would be from Sennaar ; but, on the contrary, the first 
tidings received were those of his death. Some delays in 
the departure of the caravan, working upon his impatient 
spirit, brought on a bilious complaint, to which he applied 
rash and violent remedies, and thus reduced himself to a 
state from which the care of Rossetti, the Venetian consul, 
and the skill of the best physicians of Cairo, sought in vain 
to deliver him. 

The society had, at the time they engaged Ledyard, en- 
tered into terms with Mr. Lucas, a gentleman who, being 
captured in his youth by a Sallee rover, had been three 
years a slave at the court of Morocco, and after his deliver- 
ance had been employed as vice-consul in that empire. 
Having spent sixteen years there, he had acquired an inti- 
mate knowledge of Africa and its languages. He was sent, 
by way of Tripoli, with instructions to accompany the ca- 
ravan, which is understood to take the most direct route into 
the interior of the continent. Being provided with letters 
from the TripoUtan ambassador, he obtained the bey's per- 
mission, and even promises of assistance, for this expedi- 
tion. At the same time he made an arrangement with two 
Shereefs, or descendants of the prophet, under which cha- 
racter their persons are sacred, to join a caravan of which 
they intended to make a part. He proceeded with them to 
Mesurata ; but the Arabs in the neighbourhood, being in a 
state of rebellion, refused to furnish camels and guides, 
which, indeed, could scarcely be expected, as the bey had 



80 HOUGHTON. 

declined to grant them a safe-conduct through his territo- 
ries. Mr. Lucas was therefore obliged to return to Tripoli, 
without being able to penetrate farther into the continent. 
He learned, however, from Imhammed, one of the Shereefs, 
who had been an extensive traveller, a variety of particu- 
lars respecting the interior regions. The society had at 
the same time made very particular inquiries of Ben Ali, a 
Morocco caravan trader, who happened to be in London. 
From these two sources Mr. Beaufby was enabled to draw 
up a view of Central Africa ; very imperfect indeed, yet su- 
perior to any that had ever before appeared. 

According to the statements thus obtained, Bornou and 
Kashna were the most powerful states in that part of the 
continent, and formed even empires holding sway over a 
number of tributary kingdoms ;— a statement at that time 
correct, though affairs have since greatly changed. The 
Kashna caravan often crossed the Niger, and went onwards 
to great kingdoms beyond the Gold Coast, Gongah or 
Kong, Asiente or Ashantee, Yarba or Yarriba, through 
which last Clapperton recently travelled. Several exten- 
sive routes across the Desert were also delineated. In re- 
gard to the Niger, the report of Imhammed revived the 
error which represented that river as flowing westward to- 
wards the Atlantic. The reason on which this opinion 
was founded will appear when we observe, that it was in 
Kashna that Ben Ali considered himself as having crossed 
that river. His Niger, then, was the Quarrama or river of 
Zirmie, which flows westward through Kashna and Sac- 
katoo, and is only a tributary to the Quorra or great river, 
which we call the Niger. He describes the stream as very 
broad and rapid, probably from having seen it during the 
rainy season, when all the tropical rivers that are of any 
magnitude assume an imposing appearance. 

Mr. Lucas made no farther effort to penetrate into Africa. 
The next expedition was made by a new agent, and from 
a different quarter. Major Houghton, who had resided for 
some time as consul at Morocco, and afterward in a mili- 
tary capacity at Goree, undertook the attempt to reach the 
Niger by the route of the Gambia, not, like Jobson and 
Stibbs, ascending its stream in boats, but travelling singly 
and by land. He seems to have been endowed with a gay, 
active, and sanguine spirit, fitted to carry him through the 



HOUGHTON. 81 

boldest undertakings, but without that cool and calculating 
temper which is necessary for him who endeavours to make 
his way amid scenes of peril and treachery. He began his 
journey early in 1791, and soon reached Medina, the ca- 
pital of Woolli, where the venerable chief ieceived him 
with extreme kindness, promised to furnish guides, and as- 
sured him that he might go to Timbuctoo with his staff in 
his hand. The only evil that befell him at Medina arose 
from a fire which broke out there, and spreading rapidly 
through buildings roofed with cane and matted grass, con- 
verted in an hour a town of a thousand houses into a heap 
of ashes. Major Houghton ran out with the rest of the 
people into the fields, saving only such few articles as could 
be carried with him. He writes, that by trading at Fatta- 
tenda a man may make 800 per cent., and may live in plenty 
on ten pounds a-year. Quitting the Gambia, he took the 
road through Bambouk, and arrived at Ferbanna on the 
Faleme. Here he was received with the most extraordi- 
nary kindness by the king, who gave him a guide and 
money to defray his expenses. A note was afterward re- 
ceived from him, dated Simbing, and which contained 
merely these words,—" Major Houghton's compliments to 
Dr. Laidley ; is in good health on his way to Timbuctoo ; 
robbed of all his goods by Fenda Bucar's son." This was 
the last, communication from him ; for soon afterward the 
negroes brought down to Pisania the melancholy tidings of 
his death, of which Mr. Park subsequently learned the par- 
ticulars. Some Moors had persuaded the Major to accom- 
pany them to Tisheet, a place in the Great Desert, fre- 
quented on account of its salt-mines. In alluring him 
thither, their object, as appears from the result, was to rob 
him ; for it was very much out of the direct route to Tim- 
buctoo. Of this in a few days he became sensible, and in- 
sisted upon returning ; but they would not permit him to 
leave their party until after they had stripped him of every 
article in his possession. He wandered about for some 
time through the Desert without food or shelter, till, at 
length, quite exhausted, he sat down under a tree and ex» 
pired. Mr. Park was shown the very spot where his re* 
mains were abandoned to the fowls of the air. 



m 



PARK'S ROUTES. 




park's first journey. 83 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Park's First Journey. 

As soon as the Association were informed of the fate of 
Major Houghton, they accepted the offered services of Mr* 
Mungo Park, a native of Scotland, regularly bred to the 
medical profession, and just returned from a voyage to 
India. The committee were satisfied that Mr. Park pos- 
sessed the requisite qualifications, though they could not 
yet be aware of the full extent of his courage and perse- 
verance, nor of the unrivalled eminence to which, as a tra- 
veller, he was destined to rise under their auspices. 

He set sail from Portsmouth on the 22d May, 1795, and 
on the 21st June arrived at Jillifree on the Gambia. He 
then proceeded to Pisania, in the fertile kingdom of Yani, 
where he was detained five months by illness under the hos- 
pitable roof of Dr. Laidley. While suffering from the fever 
of the climate, he acquired the Mandingo language, and ob- 
tained considerable information from the negro traders re- 
specting the interior countries. The Gambia at this station 
was deep and muddy, overshadowed with impenetrable 
thickets of mangrove, and the stream filled with crocodiles 
and river-horses. 

On the 2d of December, Mr. Park took his departure, 
attended only by a few negro servants. On the 5th, he ar- 
rived at Medina, where the good old king received him with 
the same hospitality he had so liberally shown to Major 
Houghton ; but earnestly exhorted him to take warning 
from the fate of that too adventurous traveller, and go no 
farther. Mr. Park was not to be thus discouraged ; but im- 
mediately proceeded to enter the gr^at forest or wilderness 
which separates this country from Bondou. He conformed 
to the example of his companions in hanging a charm or 
shred of cloth upon a tree at its entrance, which was com- 
pletely covered with those guardian symbols. In two days 
he had passed the wood, and found Bondou a fine cham- 
paign country, watered by the Faleme. He had soon, how- 
ever, to encounter the perils which cannot but await every 



84 park's first joxjrney. 

single and defenceless traveller who, loaded with valuable 
goods, passes through a succession of petty kingdoms where 
law is unknown. At Fatteconda, which he reached on the 
21st December, he was obliged to wait upon Almami the 
king, who had already disgraced himself by the plunder of 
Major Houghton. Being desirous to preserve a good new blue 
coat, Mr. Park deemed it the wisest plan to wear it on his per- 
son, fondly hoping that it would not be actually stripped off 
his back. However, after the introductory ceremonial, the 
king began a warm panegyric on the wealth and generosity of 
the whites, whence he proceeded to the praises of the coat 
and its yellow buttons, concluding with expressing the de- 
light with which he should wear it for the sake of his guest. 
He did not add, that if these hints were disregarded, it would 
be seized by force ; but our traveller, being thoroughly con- 
vinced that such was his intention, pulled off the coat, of 
which he humbly requested his majesty's acceptance. The 
king then abstained from farther spoil, and introduced him 
as a curiosity to his female circle. The ladies, after a care- 
ful survey, approved of his external appearance, with the 
exception of the two deformities of a white skin and a high 
nose ; but for these they made ample allowance, being 
blemishes produced by the false taste of his mother, who 
had bathed him in milk when young, and, by pinching his 
nose, elevated it into its present absurd height. Park flat- 
tered them on their jet-black skins and beautifully flattened 
noses ; but was modestly warned that honey-mouth was not 
esteemed in Bondou. 

Another forest intervened between that kingdom and Ka- 
jaaga, which he crossed by moonlight, when the deep 
silence of the woods was interrupted only by the howling of 
wolves and hyenas, which glided like shadows through 
the thickets. Scarcely was he arrived at Joag, in Kajaaga, 
when a party from Bacheri the king surrounded him, and 
declared his property forfeited, in consequence of having 
entered the country without payment of the duties. Thus 
he was stripped of all his goods except a small portion 
which he contrived to hide. Unable to procure a meal, he 
was sitting disconsolate under a bentang tree, when an aged 
female slave came up and asked if he had dined. Being 
told thet he had not, and had been robbed of every thing, 
ehe presented several handfuls of nuts, and went off befort 



park's first journey. 89 

he could return thanks. Demba Sego, nephew to the king 
of Kasson, and who happened to be then at Joag endea- 
vouring to negotiate a peace between his uncle andBacheri, 
Who were at variance, now undertook to guide him into that 
country, and did so ; but exacted so many duties and pre- 
sents, that Mr. Park was stripped of half his remaining 
stock. Kasson was found a level, fertile, and beautiful 
country. At Kooniakary, the capital, our traveller was 
Well received by the king* and forwarded to Kemmoo, the 
principal town of Kaarta. Daisy, the sovereign of this 
last, likewise received him with the utmost kindness ; but 
on learning his intention of taking the route to Timbuctoo 
through Bambarra, he stated this to be impossible, as he 
himself was then at war with the latter kingdom, and as- 
sured him that he would at once be killed if he attempted 
to enter it from Kaarta. There remained, therefore, no 
alternative but to go by way of the Moorish kingdom of 
Ludamar, a perilous and fatal route, in which Major 
Houghton had already perished. Mr. Park, however* hoped* 
by proceeding along the southern frontier, to reach Bam- 
barra without coming- much into contact with the barbarous 
and bigoted Moors by whom it was peopled. 

On his arrival at Jarra, a large town chiefly inhabited by 
negroes, but entirely under the power of the Moors, he 
sent to Benowm, the capital, a messenger loaded with pre- 
sents to negotiate with Ali, their chief, for a passage through 
his territories. After waiting a fortnight in great anxiety, 
he received a safe-conduct to Goombo, a place on the fron- 
tier of Bambarra. He first proceeded to Deena, a town in 
the possession of the Moors, who insulted and plundered 
him in the grossest manner, so that he was happy to escape 
by setting out at two in the morning of 3d March. He 
passed next through Sampaka and Dalli, where he was re- 
ceived by the negro inhabitants with the usual kindness and 
hospitality of that race ; he was even induced to stop a day 
at Dalli under promise of an escort ; but this was a fatal 
pause. At Sami, on the 7th March, a party of Moorish 
horsemen appeared, for the purpose of telling him that Fa- 
tima, the favourite wife of Ali, had been struck with curi* 
osity to see what kind of creature a Christian was ; that he 
must therefore come and show himself; but was assured 
H 



86 park's first journey* 

that he would be well treated, and on satisfying her ma 
jesty's wish, would even be forwarded on his journey. 

Benowm, the Moorish capital, to which Fark was then 
conveyed, proved to be a mere camp composed of a number 
of dirty tents, intermingled with herds of camels, horses, 
and oxen. He was surrounded by crowds actuated partly 
.by curiosity and partly by that malignant feeling which al- 
ways inflames the Moors against Christians. They snatched 
off his hat, made him unbutton his clothes to show the 
whiteness of his skin, and counted his fingers and toes to 
see if he were really of the same nature with themselves. 
After being kept for some time in the sun, he was lodged 
in a hut made of cornstalks, supported by posts, to one of 
which was tied a wild hog, evidently in derision, and to in- 
timate that they were fit associates for each other. The 
hog, indeed, would have been the most harmless part of the 
affair, had not idle boys taken delight in tormenting and 
working up the animal to a constant state of fury. Crowds 
of men and women incessantly poured in to see the white 
man, and he was obliged to continue the whole day but- 
toning and unbuttoning his clothes, to show his skin, and 
the European manner of dressing and undressing. When 
curiosity was satisfied, the next amusement was to plague 
the Christian, and he became the sport of the meanest and 
most vulgar members of this rude community. The Moorish 
horsemen took him out and galloped round him, baiting him 
as if he had been a wild beast, twirling their swords in his 
face to show their skill in horsemanship. Repeated at- 
tempts were made to compel him to work. One of Ali's 
sons desired him to mend the lock of a double-barrelled 
gun, and could scarcely be persuaded that all Europeans 
did not ply the trade of a smith. He was also installed as 
barber, and directed to shave the head of a young prince ; 
but not relishing this function, he contrived to give his 
highness such a cut that AH took the alarm and discharged 
him as incapable. That chief, under pretence of securing 
him against depredation, seized for himself all that re- 
mained of the traveller's property. Having examined the 
instruments, he was greatly astonished at the compass, and 
particularly at its always pointing towards the Great Desert. 
Park, thinking it vain to attempt any scientific exposition, 



PARK S FIRST JOURNEY. 87 

said that its direction was always to the place where his 
mother dwelt ; whereupon Ali, struck with superstitious 
dread, desired it to be taken away. 

Amid these insults, Park's sufferings were the more se- 
vere from the very scanty measure of food with which he 
was supplied. At midnight only he received a small mess 
of kouskous, not nearly enough to satisfy nature. He had 
been invited, indeed, to kill and dress his companion the 
hog ; but this he considered as a snare laid for him, believ- 
ing that the Mohammedans, had they seen him feasting on 
this impure and hated flesh, would have killed him on the 
spot. As the dry season advanced, water became scarce 
and precious, and only a very limited quantity was allowed 
to reach the infidel, who thus endured the pangs of the most 
tormenting thirst. On one occasion, a Moor who was 
drawing water for his cows, yielded to his earnest entreaty 
that he might put the bucket to his mouth ; then, struck 
with sudden alarm at such a profanation of the vessel, seized 
it, and poured the liquid into the trough, desiring him to 
share with the cattle. Park overcame the risings of pride, 
plunged his head into the water, and enjoyed a delicious 
draught. 

During this dreadful period he contrived, nevertheless, 
to obtain some information. Even the rudest of his tor- 
mentors took pleasure in teaching him the Arabic charac- 
ters, by tracing them upon the sand. Two Mohammedan 
travellers came to Benowm, from whom he obtained routes 
to Morocco, Walet, and Timbuctoo ; but they gave the most 
discouraging report as to the prospects of reaching the 
latter city. He was told it would not do ; the Moors were 
there entirely masters, and viewed all Christians as chil- 
dren of the Devil and enemies of the prophet. 

Fatima, the wife of Ali, whose curiosity to see a Chris- 
tian he had been brought hither to gratify, was absent all. 
this time and not like to arrive, while the rancour of the 
Moors, by whom Park was surrounded, became always 
more imbittered. A party even proposed that he should be 
condemned to death, though Ali's sons only recommended 
to put out his eyes, alleging that they resembled those of a 
cat. Hereupon he began seriously to consider the possibi- 
lity of escape ; but besides his being closely watched, the 
Desert was now so entirely destitute of water, that he must 



88 park's first journey. 

have perished on the road with thirst. He was therefore 
obliged to await the rainy season, however unfavourable for 
travelling through the negro territories. 

AH, on the 30th April, having occasion to move his quar- 
ters, came to Bubaker, the residence of Fatima, and Park 
was introduced to that favourite princess. The beauty of 
a Moorish female is measured entirely by her circumference ; 
and to bestow this grace on their daughters, the mothers 
stuff them with enormous quantities of milk and kouskous, 
the swallowing of which is enforced even with blows, till 
they attain that acme of beauty which renders them a load 
for a camel. The dimensions by which Fatima had capti- 
vated her royal lover were very enormous ; she added to 
them Arab features and long black hair. This queen at 
first shrunk back with horror at seeing before her that mon- 
ster, a Christian ; but after putting various questions, be- 
gan to see in him nothing so wholly different from the rest 
of mankind. She presented to him a bowl of milk, and 
continued to show him the only kindness he met with during 
this dreadful captivity. At length her powerful intercession 
induced Ali to take Park with him to Jarra, where our tra- 
veller hoped to find the means of proceeding on his journey. 
At Jarra a striking scene occurred. Ali, through ava- 
rice, had involved himself in the quarrel between the mo- 
narchs of Kaarta and Bambarra, and news arrived that 
Daisy was in full march to attack the town. The troops, 
who ought to have defended the place, fled at the first on- 
set, and nothing remained for the inhabitants but to aban- 
don it and escape from slaughter or slavery, the dreadful 
alternatives of African conquest. The scene was affecting. 
The local attachments of the African are strong ; and the 
view of this disconsolate crowd quitting perhaps for ever 
their native spot, the scene of their early life, and where 
* they had fixed all their hopes and desires, r resented a strik- 
ing picture of human calamity. Park would now very 
gladly have presented himself before his friend Daisy ; but 
being afraid that in the confusion he would be mistaken for 
a Moor, and killed as such, he thought it a safer course to 
join the retreat. He found more difficulty in escaping than 
he had expected, being seized by three Mohammedans, who 
threatened to carry him back to Ali, but finally contented 
themselves with robbing him of his cloak. In flying from 



park's first journey. 89 

savage man, he soon found himself involved in a danger 
still more alarming. He was in the midst of an immense 
desert, in which was neither food nor a drop of water. 
Having ascended the loftiest tree within his reach, he could 
see no boundary to the scene of desolation. The pangs of 
thirst became intolerable, a dimness spread over his eyes, 
and he felt as if this life, with all its mingled joys and mi- 
series, was about to close, — as if all the hopes of glory by 
which he had been impelled to this adventurous career had 
vanished, and he was to perish at the moment when a few 
days* more would have brought him to the Niger. Sud- 
denly he saw a flash of lightning, and eagerly hailed it as a 
portent of rain ; the wind then began to blow among the 
bushes, but it was a sand-wind which continued for an hour 
to fill the air. At last there burst forth a brighter flash, 
followed by a refreshing shower, which being received upon 
his clothes, and the moisture wrung ovt, gave him new life. 
He travelled onwards, passing, but carefully shunning, a 
village of the Moors, when thirst, imperfectly satisfied, be- 
gan again to torment him. Then he heard a heavenly 
sound — the croaking of frogs ; and soon reached the muddy 
pools which they inhabited, when the thirst both of himself 
and his horse was thoroughly quenched. He came to a 
Foulah village, called Sherillah, where the dcoty, or chief 
magistrate, shut the door in his face, and refused him a 
handful of corn ; however, in passing the suburbs, a poor 
woman, who was spinning cotton in front of her hut, in- 
vited him to enter, and set before him a dish of kouskous. 
Next day he was hospitably received by a negro shepherd, 
who regaled him with dates and boiled corn ; but happen- 
ing to pronounce the word Nazarani (Christian), the wife 
and children screamed and ran out of the house, to which 
nothing could induce them to return. 

At Wawra, Park considered himself beyond the reach of 
the Moors ; and, being kindly received, determined to rest 
two or three days. When he was known to be on his way 
to Sego, the capital, several women came and besought him 
to ask the king about their sons, who had been taken away 
to the army. One had neither seen nor heard of hers for 
several years ; she declared he was no heathen, but said 
his prayers daily, and that he was often the subject of her 
dreams. Leaving this place he came to Dingyee, where 
H2 



90 park's first journey. 

he seemed invested with a sacred character, — a man ear- 
nestly entreating a lock of his hair to be used as a saphie 
or charm ; and receiving permission to cut it off, he con- 
trived to crop completely one side of the head. Proceeding 
towards Sego, he joined on the road several small negro 
parties ; but, as the country became more populous, hospi- 
tality was less common. In Moorja, however, though mostly 
peopled by Mohammedans, he found gayety and abundance. 
He next passed through several towns and villages, which, 
in the late war, had been systematically destroyed ; the 
large bentang tree under which the inhabitants used to 
meet had been cut down, the wells were filled up, and ever^ 
thing done which could render the neighbourhood uninha- 
bitable. He passed also a cqffle, or caravan, of about se- 
venty slaves tied together by the neck with thongs of bul* 
locks' hide, seven slaves upon each thong. His horse was 
now so completely worn out, that, instead of attempting to 
ride, he was content to drive it before him. Being also 
barefooted, and in the most miserable plight, he afforded a 
subject of merriment to the natives, who asked if he had 
been travelling to Mecca, and made ironical proposals for 
the purchase of his horse ; even the slaves were ashamed 
to be seen in his company. 

At length, the near approach to Sego was indicated by 
crowds hastening to its market ; and Mr. Park was told that 
on the following day, the 21st July, that primary object of 
his search, the Joliba or Great Water, would appear before 
him. He passed a sleepless night, but, starting before day- 
break, he had the satisfaction, at eight o'clock, to see the 
smoke rising over Sego. He overtook some former fellow- 
travellers, and, in riding through a piece of marshy ground, 
one of them called out, geo affdli (see the w T ater), and look- 
ing forwards, " I saw," says he, " with infinite pleasure, 
the great object of my mission, the long-sought- for majestic 
Niger, glittering to the morning sun, as broad as the 
Thames at "Westminster, and flowing slowly to the eastward. 
I hastened to the brink, and having drunk of the water, 
lifted up my fervent thanks in prayer to the Great Ruler of 
all things, for having thus far crowned my endeavours with 
success." 

Mr. Park now saw before him Sego, the capital of the 
kingdom of Bambarra, It consisted of four separate towns, 



park's first journey. 91 

two on each side of the river, surrounded with high mud- 
walls, — the houses, though only of clay, neatly white- 
washed,— the streets commodious, with mosques rising in 
every quarter. The place was estimated to contain about 
thirty thousand inhabitants. The numerous canoes on the 
river, the crowded population, and the cultivated state of 
the surrounding country, presented altogether an appear- 
ance of civilization and magnificence little expected in the 
bosom of Africa. The traveller sought a passage to Sego- 
see-Korro, the quarter where the king resided ; but, owing 
to the crowd of passengers, he was detained two hours ; 
during which time his majesty was apprized that a white 
man, poorly equipped, was about to pass the river to seek 
an audience. A chief was immediately sent, with an ex- 
press order that the traveller should not cross without his ma- 
jesty's permission, and pointed to a village at some distance, 
where it was recommended that the stranger should pass 
the night. Park, not a little disconcerted, repaired to the 
village ; but as the order had not been accompanied with 
any provision for his reception, he found every door shut. 
Turning his horse loose to graze, he was preparing, as a se- 
curity from wild beasts, to climb a tree and sleep among the 
branches, when a beautiful and affecting incident occurred, 
which gives a most pleasing view of the negro character. 
An old woman, returning from the labours of the field, cast 
on him a look of compassion, and desired him to follow her. 
She led him to an apartment in her hut, procured a fine fish, 
which she broiled for his supper, and spread a mat for him 
to sleep upon. She then desired h^r maidens, who had 
been gazing in fixed astonishment at the white man, to re- 
sume their tasks, which they continued to ply through a 
great part of the night. They cheered their labours with 
a song which must have been composed extempore, since 
Mr. Park, with deep emotion, discovered that he himself 
was the subject of it. It said, in a strain of affecting sim- 
plicity,—" The winds roared, and the rains fell. The poor 
white man, faint and weary, came and sat under our tree. 
He has no mother to bring him milk, no wife to grind his 
corn. — Chorus — Let us pity the white man, no mother has 
he," &c. Our traveller was much affected, and next morn- 
ing could not depart without requesting his landlady's ac- 
ceptance of the only gift he had left, two out of the four 
brass buttons that still remained on his waistcoat. 



92 PARR'S FIRST JOURNEY. 

He remained two days in this village, during which he 
understood that he was the subject of much deliberation 
at court, the Moors and slave-merchants giving the most 
unfavourable reports of his character and purposes. A 
messenger came and asked if he had any present, and 
seemed much disappointed on being told that the Moors had 
robbed him of every thing. On the second day appeared 
another envoy, bearing an injunction from Mansong that 
the stranger should not enter Sego, but proceed forthwith 
on his journey ; to defray the expenses of which, a bag, 
containing 5000 cowries, was delivered to him. Mr. Park 
estimates this sum at only twenty shillings ; but according 
to the rate of provisions, it was worth much more, being 
sufficient to maintain, for fifty days, himself and his horse. 

Two days brought our traveller to Sansanding, a large 
town with 10,000 inhabitants. He hoped to enter unno- 
ticed, finding himself mistaken by the negroes for a Moor. 
Being taken, however, before Counti Mamadi, the dooty, or 
chief magistrate, he found a number of Mohammedans, 
who denied the supposed national connexion, and regarded 
him with their usual hatred and suspicion. Several even 
pretended they had seen him before, and one woman 
swore that she had kept his house three years at Gallam. 
The dooty put a negative on their proposition of dragging 
him by force to the mosque ; but they climbed over in great 
numbers into the court where he had taken up his quarters 
for the night, insisting that he should perform his evening 
devotions, and eat eggs. The first proposal was positively de- 
clined ; but the second he professed his utmost readiness to 
comply with. The eggs were accordingly brought, but raw, 
as the natives imagined it a part of European depravity to 
be fond of them in that state. His reluctance to eat raw 
eggs exalted him in the eyes of his sage visitants ; his host 
accordingly killed a sheep, and gave him a plentiful supper. 

His route now lay through woods, grievously infested 
with all kinds of wild animals. His guide suddenly wheeled 
his horse round, calling out " Wara billi billi I — a very large 
lion !" Mr. Park's steed was ill fitted to convey him from 
the scene of danger ; but, seeing nothing, he supposed his 
guide mistaken, when the latter exclaimed, " God preserve 
me !" and the traveller then saw a very large red lion, with 
the head couched between the fore-paws. His eyes were 
fixed as by fascination on this sovereign of the beasts, and h* 



park's first journey. 93 

expected every moment the fatal spring ; but the savage 
animal, either not pressed by hunger or struck with some 
mysterious awe, remained immoveable, and allowed the 
party to pass unmolested. Real misery arose from a meaner 
cause, namely, the amazing swarms of mosquitoes which 
ascend from the swamps and creeks, and to whose attack, 
from the ragged state of his garments, he was exposed at 
every point. He was covered all over with blisters, and at 
night could get no rest. An affecting crisis next arrived. 
His horse, the faithful and suffering companion of his jour- 
ney, had been daily becoming weaker. At length, stumbling 
over some rough ground, he fell : all his master's efforts 
were insufficient to raise him, and no alternative remained 
but to leave the poor animal ; which, after collecting some 
grass and laying it before him, Mr. Park did, not without a 
sad presentiment that, ere long, he himself might in like 
manner lie down and perish with hunger and fatigue. 

He now resolved to hire a boat, in which he was conveyed 
up the river to Silla, another large town, where his reception 
was so inhospitable that the dooty reluctantly permitted 
him to take shelter from the rain in a damp shed. Half- 
naked, worn down by fatigue and sickness, and foreseeing 
the approach of the rains by which the whole country 
would be inundated, Mr. Park began seriously to contem- 
plate his situation. All the obstacles now stated were 
small, when compared to the fact, that, in proceeding east- 
ward, he would still be within the range of Moorish influ- 
ence. He learned, that at Jenne, though included in Bam- 
barra, the municipal power was chiefly in the hands of 
these savage and merciless fanatics, who, at Timbuctoo 
also, held the entire sway. On these grounds he felt con- 
vinced that certain destruction awaited him in his progress 
eastward ; that all his discoveries would perish with himself; 
and that his life would be sacrificed in vain. His only hope, 
and it was but faint, of ever reaching England^ depended 
upon his return westward, and on his proceeding by the 
most direct route to the coast. On this course he deter- 
mined, — a decision which was fully approved both by his 
employers and by the public. 

During his stay at Silla, he used every effort to obtain 
information respecting the more eastern countries, particu- 
larly the kingdom of Timbuctoo, and the course of the 



94 PARK S FIRST JOURNEY. 

Niger. He was told that the next great city along th at river 
was Jenne, which was represented as very flourishing, and 
larger than Sego or any other place in Bambarra. Lower 
down, the river spread into an expanse, called Dibbie or the 
Dark Lake, so extensive that, in crossing it, the canoes for a 
whole day lost sight of land. On the eastern side the Niger 
issued out of this lake in two large branches, enclosing the 
alluvial country of Jinbala, when they again united in one 
channel, which flowed on to Kabra, the port of Timbuctoo. 
That town, situated a day's journey north from the Niger, 
was described to Mr. Park as the great centre of the com- 
merce carried on between the Moors and negroes, by means 
of which the former people had filled it with Mohammedan 
converts ; it was added, that the king and his principal offi- 
cers belonged to this faith, which was professed there with 
even more than the usual bigotry. An old negro related, 
that, on his entering a public inn, the landlord laid on the 
floor a mat and a rope, saying, " If you are a Mussulman, 
you are my friend, sit down on this mat ; if not, you are 
my slave, and with this rope I will lead you to market." 
The king, named Abu Abrahima, was clothed in silk, lived 
in great pomp, and possessed immense riches. There has 
since appeared reason to suspect that, in these reports, both 
the bigotry and the splendour of Timbuctoo were some- 
what exaggerated. Beyond this city, eastward, there was 
said to be a great kingdom called Houssa, with a capital 
of the same name, situated on the Niger. This also was 
somewhat inaccurate. There is no city called Houssa; 
and the term is applied, not to a kingdom, but to an ex- 
tensive region comprehending many principalities, and 
through which the Niger does not pass. 

Having formed his resolution, he forthwith began his re- 
turn to the westward, and at Modiboo met with an unex- 
pected and rather pleasing occurrence. While he was con- 
versing with the dooty, a horse was heard to neigh ; upon 
which the magistrate asked, smiling, if he knew who was 
speaking to him — and presently going out, led in the travel- 
ler's own horse, greatly recruited by rest. Mr. Park at first 
drove the animal before him, but afterward mounted, and 
found him of great benefit in passing the swamps and swollen 
rivulets which obstructed his route. He soon learned that 
4angers, even greater than he was aware of, had beset his 



PARK'S FIRST JOURNEY. 95 

path. The king of Bambarra had been at last so worked 
upon by Moorish counsellors, that, repenting even his for- 
mer stinted kindness, he had sent messengers to apprehend 
Park, and to bring him a prisoner to Sego ; from which fate 
he escaped only by the retrograde direction he had taken. 
Thenceforth every door was resolutely shut against him ; 
at Sansanding his best friend Counti Mamadi privately paid 
him a visit, and advised him to leave the city early next 
morning, and to make no delay in the vicinity of the capital. 
Accordingly, at a village near that city, he obtained a con- 
firmation of the above tidings, and was exhorted to lose no 
time if he wished to get safe out of Bambarra. He then 
quitted the road, and struck off through fields and swamps. 
He once intended to swim across the Niger, and push to- 
wards the Gold Coast, but afterward resolved to pursue his 
course westward along the river, and thus ascertain its pre- 
cise line. He had now nothing to subsist on except what 
charity bestowed, which was only an occasional handful 
of raw corn. There was also the greatest difficulty in find- 
ing a way through the swampy and inundated grounds. 
Once his horse and he sunk together to the neck in mud, 
and came out so completely besmeared, that they were com- 
pared by the natives to two dirty elephants. At another 
time, when he had stripped, and was leading his horse 
through a river that took him up to the neck, a friendly 
African called out, that he would perish if he went on, and 
undertook to procure a canoe ; but when he came out, and 
his white skin was distinctly seen, the stranger put his 
hand to his mouth, exclaiming, in a low tone of amazement, 
" God preserve me ! what is this 1" He continued his 
kindness, however, and at Taffaro, where our traveller was 
shut out from every house, and obliged to sleep under a tree, 
brought him some supper. One of his most disagreeable 
encounters was at Souha, where the dooty, after a surly 
refusal of every refreshment, called upon a slave, whom he 
ordered to dig a pit, uttering, at the same time, expressions 
of anger and vexation. The hole became always deeper 
and deeper, till it ass*umed the appearance of a grave ; and 
Park, who saw no one but himself likely to be put into it, 
began to think it was high time to be moving off. At 
length the slave went away, and returned, holding by the 
leg and arm the naked corpse of a boy about nine years old? 



96 park's first journey. 

which he threw in with an air of savage unconcern, the 
dooty exclaiming, " naphula attiniata ! money lost, money 
lost !" Mr. Park withdrew in the deepest disgust at this 
display of brutal and selfish avarice. The only hearty meal 
he obtained for many days was from a Moslem convert, 
who, presenting a board, entreated him to write a saphie 
Upon it, the return for which would be a good supper of 
rice and salt. This was too important an offer to be re* 
jected from nice scruples. He therefore covered the board 
with the Lord's Prayer, which his host carefully washed 
off and drank, afterward licking the wood with his tongue. 
For this, in addition to his good rice supper, he received 
next morning a breakfast of meal and milk. 

Our traveller now arrived at Bammakoo, where the level 
country on this side of the Niger terminates ; but, on wish- 
ing to cross to the other bank, he was informed that the 
river would not be fordable for several months, and that no 
canoe could be procured large enough to transport himself 
and his horse. At length there was pointed out a path, 
rocky and difficult, but through which he might contrive to 
pick a way under the direction of a Jilli-kea, or singing 
man, who was going to Sibidooloo. The track, however, 
proved excessively rough and perilous ; when his tuneful 
conductor, finding himself mistaken in the way, sprang up 
among the cliffs, and quickly disappeared. Mr. Park was 
obliged to return and search among a number of glens, till 
he found a track marked by the tread of horses, which led 
him to Kooma, a beautiful sequestered village in the heart 
of those barren mountains, where, on the produce of a small 
fertile valley, the inhabitants lived in peaceful abundance. 
They showed that kind hospitality which had been be- 
stowed only scantily and occasionally in the still more 
Truitful regions below. Mr. Park set out next day for Si* 
bidooloo ; but on this route his last and greatest disaster 
awaited him. In passing a rivulet he found a shepherd, 
who had been wounded by a party of banditti, and soon 
after saw a man sitting on the stump of a tree, while from 
among the grass appeared the heads of six or seven others, 
with muskets in their hands. Seeing it impossible to 
escape, he resolved to put the best face he could on his situa- 
tion. Pretending to take them for elephant-hunters, he 
went up and asked if their chase had been successful. 



97 

Instead of answering, one of them ordered him to dismount ; 
but then, as if recollecting himself, waved with his hand 
to proceed. The traveller had not gone far when he heard 
voices behind, and, looking round, saw them all in full pur- 
suit, calling to him that they were sent to carry himself and 
his horse before the king of the Foulahs at Fooladoo. He 
did not attempt a vain resistance, but accompanied them till 
they came to a dark spot in the depth of the wood, when 
one of them said, " This place will do." The same man 
snatched off Mr. Park's hat ; another instantly detached 
the last remaining button from his waistcoat ; the rest 
searched his pockets, and investigated, with the most scru- 
pulous accuracy, every portion of his apparel ; at last they 
determined to make sure work by stripping him to the 
skin. As he pointed to his pocket-compass with earnest 
entreaty, one of them cocked a pistol, threatening, if he 
should touch it, to shoot him through the head. As they 
were carrying off every thing, they were seized with a feel* 
ing of remorse, and threw to him his worst shirt, a pair of 
trowsers, and his hat, in the crown of which he kept his 
memorandums. 

After this blow Mr. Park felt a deeper depression than 
he had experienced under any former disaster. Naked and 
alone, in a vast wilderness, 500 miles from any settlement, 
surrounded by savage beasts and by men still more savage, 
he saw no prospect before him but to lie down and perish. 
From this depth of despondency his mind was suddenly re- 
vived by a mingled impression of nature and of religion. A 
small moss, in a state of fructification, struck his eye, the 
delicate conformation of whose roots, leaves, and capsule, 
could not be contemplated without admiration. He then 
bethought himself, — "Can that Being who planted, wa- 
tered, and brought to perfection, in this obscure corner of 
the world, a thing which appears of so small importance, 
look with unconcern upon the situation and sufferings of 
creatures formed after his own image 1" Inspired by these 
just and pious reflections, he started up and went on, de- 
spite of fatigue ; and he soon found deliverance to be nearer 
than he had any reason to anticipate. 

Having arrived at Sibidooloo, he waited on the mansa 9 
or chief ruler of the town, and related his misfortune ; when 
the latter, taking his pipe from his mouth* and tossing up 



98 PARK S FIRST JOURNEY. 

his sleeve, said, with an indignant air, " Sit down, you shall 
have every thing restored to you ; I have sworn it." He 
then ordered several of his people to go by daybreak next 
morning over the hills, and obtain the assistance of the 
dooty of Bammakoo in pursuing the robbers. Thus re- 
lieved, Mr. Park remained two days in this hospitable vil- 
lage, but found it pressed by so severe a famine that he 
could not think of tasking their kindness any longer, and 
went on to a town called Wonda. Here the mansa, who 
Was at once chief magistrate and schoolmaster, received 
him with kindness ; but the famine was felt there with 
equal severity. Remarking five or six women who came 
daily to receive an allowance of corn from the dooty, he 
took leave" to ask an explanation. "Look at that boy," 
said the magistrate ; " his mother has sold him to me for 
fifty days' subsistence for herself and family." Our tra- 
veller, having during his stay become very unwell, heard 
the hospitable landlord and his wife lamenting to them- 
selves the necessity of supporting him till he should either 
recover or die. 

At the end of nine days messengers arrived from Sibi- 
dooloo with Mr. Park's horse, harness, clothes, and even 
the pocket compass, though broken ; all of which had been 
recovered by the exertions of the mansa. The horse, being 
reduced to a skeleton, and quite unfit for a journey over the 
flinty roads, was presented to his landlord ; the saddle and 
bridle were sent to his generous friend at Sibidooloo. 
Then, sick as he was, our traveller took leave, and went 
through several towns in the mountain territory of Mand- 
ing, where he was, on the whole, hospitably treated. His 
arrival at Kamalia formed a most important era. There he 
met Karfa Taura, a negro, who was collecting a coifle of 
slaves for the Gambia. Karfa told him it was impossible 
at this season to traverse the Jallonka wilderness, in which 
there were eight rapid rivers to be crossed ; but he offered 
to support him in the interval, and conduct him at the pro- 
per season to the Gambia, asking only a reasonable com- 
pensation, which was fixed at the value of a prime slave. 
Mr. Park was thus seasonably delivered from all his trou^ 
bles, and obtained a more certain prospect of reaching homo 
in safety. 

He no longer encountered those difficulties and vieisst* 



park's first journey. 99 

tudes which had rendered the former part of his journey so 
full of interest and adventure. In traversing the high coun- 
tries of Manding, Konkodoo, and Dindikoo, the chief object 
which attracted his attention was the mode of extracting 
gold. This precious metal did not occur in the form of ore, 
or in large masses, but its grains were mingled with a spe- 
cies of dust or sand. This golden earth appears to be 
chiefly washed down by torrents from the summit of the 
neighbouring chain of mountains ; but it is collected with 
most advantage after the ground is dry and the harvest re- 
moved. Being indicated by its reddish tinge, it is put intc 
large baskets, called calabashes, and agitated with a rotatory 
motion, so that at every turn a portion of light sand mixed 
with water flies over the brim. The weightier parts then 
remaining are mixed with pure water, stirred, and carefully 
examined ; and it is considered satisfactory if three or four 
grains are found in the whole basket. The dust is pre- 
served in quills, which are often stuck in the hair as orna- 
ments. 

The most formidable part of the journey homeward was 
through the Jallonka wilderness, a vast and very dense 
forest, in which the caravan travelled during five days with- 
out seeing a human habitation. They marched in close and 
regular order, to protect the party against the attack of wild 
beasts, whose roarings were heard continually around them, 
and to which every one who straggled was sure to fall a 
victim. Such, too probably, was the lot of Nealee, a female 
slave, who, either from obstinacy or from excessive fatigue, 
refused to proceed any farther ; and after vain attempts to 
compel her by the whip, she was abandoned to her fate. 
On emerging from this forest, they had no difficulty in pass- 
ing through the fine open country of Dentila, and the 
smaller wilderness of Tenda. Mr. Park was again on the 
Gambia; and on the 10th June, 1797, reached Pisania, 
where he was received as one risen from the dead ; for all 
the traders from the interior had believed and reported, that, 
like Major Houghton, he was murdered by the Moors of Lu- 
damar. Karfa, his benefactor, received double the stipu- 
lated price, and was overpowered with gratitude ; but when 
he saw the commodious furniture, the skilful manufactures, 
the superiority in all the arts of life, displayed by the Eu- 
ropeans, when compared with the attainments of his coun» 



100 park's second journey. 

trymen, he was deeply mortified, and exclaimed, "Black 
men are nothing !" expressing his surprise that Park could 
find any motive for coming to so miserable a land as Africa. 
Mr. Park had some difficulty in reaching home. He was 
obliged to embark, on the 15th June, in a vessel bound to 
America, and was afterward driven by stress of weather 
into the island of Antigua, whence he sailed on the 24th 
November, and on the 22d December arrived at Falmouth. 
He reached London before dawn on the morning of Christ- 
mas-day, and, in the garden of the British Museum, acci- 
dentally met his brother-in-law, Mr. Dickson. The interval 
of two years having elapsed since any tidings of him reached 
England, had caused him to be given up for lost, so that his 
friends and the public were equally astonished and delighted 
by his reappearance. The report of his unexpected return, 
after making such splendid discoveries, kindled throughout 
the nation a higher enthusiasm than had perhaps been ex- 
cited by the result of any former mission of the same nature. 
To satisfy the public impatience, an outline was drawn up 
by Mr. Bryan Edwards, accompanied with learned and able 
geographical illustrations by Major Rennel. The entire 
narrative was published early in 1799, and besides the in- 
terest inseparable from the remarkable events which it de- 
scribes, the merit of being written in a pleasing and animated 
style has rendered it one of the most popular books in the 
English language. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Parkas Second, Journey, 



The discoveries of Park, in his first journey, though the 
most splendid made by any modern traveller, rather excited 
than satisfied the national curiosity. The Niger had been 
seen flowing eastward into the interior of Africa; and 
hence a still deeper interest and mystery were suspended 
over the future course and termination of this great central 
stream. Kingdoms had been discovered, more flourishing and 



PARK S SECOND JOURNEY. 101 

more populous than any formerly known in that continent ; 
but other kingdoms, still greater and more wealthy, were 
reported to exist in regions which he had vainly attempted 
to reach. The lustre of his achievements had diffused 
among the public in general an ardour for discovery, which 
was formerly confined to a few enlightened individuals. It 
was evident, however, that the efforts of no private asso- 
ciation could penetrate the depths of this vast continent, 
and overcome the obstacles presented by its distance, its de- 
serts, and its barbarism. Thus it became necessary for 
George III., the patron and employer of Cook, to come for- 
ward as the promoter of discovery in this new sphere. In 
October, 1801, accordingly, Mr. Park was invited by govern- 
ment to undertake an expedition on a larger scale into the 
interior of Africa. Having in the mean time married the 
daughter of Mr. Anderson, with whom he had served his 
apprenticeship as a surgeon, and having entered with some 
success on the practice of his profession in the neighbouring 
town of Peebles, it was supposed that, content with laurels 
so dearly earned, he had renounced a life of peril and ad- 
venture. But none of these ties could detain him, when 
the invitation was given to renew and complete his splendid 
career. His mind had been brooding on the subject with 
enthusiastic ardour. He had held much intercourse with 
Mr. Maxwell, a gentleman who had long commanded a ves- 
sel in the African trade, by whom he was persuaded that 
the Zaire, or Congo, which, since its discovery by the Por- 
tuguese, had been almost lost sight of by Europeans, would 
prove to be the channel by which the Niger, after watering 
all the regions of Interior Africa, enters the Atlantic. The 
scientific world were very much disposed to adopt Park's 
views on this subject ; and accordingly the whole plan of the 
expedition was adjusted with an avowed reference to them. 
The agitation of the public mind, by the change of ministry 
and the war with France, delayed farther proceedings till 
1804, when he was desired by Lord Camden, the colonial 
secretary, to form his arrangements, with an assurance of 
being supplied with every means necessary for their accon> 
plishment. The course which he now suggested was, that 
he should no longer travel as a single and unprotected wan- 
derer ; his experience decided him against such a mode of 
proceeding. He proposed to take with him a small party, 
12 



102 park's second journey. 

who, being well armed and disciplined, might face almost 
any force which the natives could oppose to them ; with 
these to proceed direct to Sego ; to build there two boats 40 
feet long, and from thence to sail downwards to the estuary 
of the Congo. Instructions were sent out to Goree that he 
should be furnished liberally with men, and with every thing 
else of which he might stand in need. 

Mr. Park sailed from Portsmouth in the Crescent trans- 
port on the 30th January, 1805. About the 8th March he 
arrived at the Cape Verd Islands ; and on the 28th reached 
Goree. There he provided himself with an officer and 
thirty-five soldiers, and with a large stock of asses from the 
islands, where the breed of these animals is excellent, and 
which appeared well fitted for traversing the rugged hills of 
the high country whence issue the sources of the Senegal 
and Niger. He took with him also two sailors and four ar- 
tificers, who had been sent from England. But before all 
these measures could be completed a month had elapsed, 
and it was then evident that the rainy season could not be 
far distant, — a period in which travelling is very difficult, 
and extremely trying to European constitutions. It is clear, 
therefore, that it would have been prudent to remain at 
Goree or Pisania till that season had passed ; but, in Mr. 
Park's elevated and enthusiastic state of mind, it would 
haye been extremely painful to have lingered so long on the 
eve of his grand and favourite undertaking. He hoped, and 
it seemed possible, that before the middle of Jane, when 
the rains usually begin, he might reach the Niger, which 
could then be navigated without any very serious toil or ex- 
posure. He departed, therefore, with his little band from 
Pisania, on the 4th May, and proceeded through Medina, 
along the banks of the Gambia. With so strong a party, 
he was no longer dependent on the protection of the petty 
kings and mansas ; but the Africans, seeing him so well 
provided, thought he had no longer any claim on their hospi- 
tality ; on the contrary, they eagerly seized every opportunity 
to obtain some portion of the valuable articles which they 
saw in his possession. Thefts were common ; the kings 
drove a hard bargain for presents : at one place the women, 
with immense labour, had emptied all the wells, that they 
might derive an advantage from selling the water. Submit- 
ting quietly to these little annoyances, Mr. Park proceeded 



park's second journey. 103 

along the Gambia, till he saw it flowing from the south be- 
tween the hills of Foota Jalla and a high mountain called 
Muianta. Turning his face almost due west, he passed the 
streams of the Ba Lee, the Ba Fing, and the Ba Woollima, 
the three principal tributaries of the Senegal. This change 
of direction led him through a tract much more pleasing 
than that which he passed in his dreary return through Jal- 
lonka and its wilderness. The villages, built in delightful 
mountain-glens, and looking from their elevated precipices 
over a great extent of wooded plain, appeared romantic be- 
yond any thing he had ever seen. The rocks near Sullo 
assumed every possible diversity of form, towering like 
ruined castles, spires, and pyramids. One mass of granite 
so strongly resembled the remains of a Gothic abbey, with 
its niches and ruined staircase, that it required some time 
to satisfy him that it was composed wholly of natural stone. 
The crossing of the rivers, now swelled to a considerable 
magnitude, was attended with many difficulties ; and in one 
of them Isaaco the guide was nearly devoured by a cro- 
codile. 

It was near Satadoo, soon after passing the Falene, that 
the party experienced the first tornado, which, marking the 
commencement of the rainy season, proved for them " the 
beginning of sorrows." In these tornadoes, violent storms 
of thunder and lightning are followed by deJuges of rain, 
which cover the ground three feet deep, and have a pecu- 
liarly malignant influence on European constitutions. In 
three days twelve men were on the sick list. The natives, 
as they saw the strength of the expedition decline, became 
more bold and frequent in their predatory attacks. At Gim- 
bia attempts were made to overpower, by main force, the 
whole party, and seize all they possessed ; but the assault 
was repelled without bloodshed, by their merely presenting 
their muskets. At Maniakarro the whole population hung 
on their rear for a considerable time, headed by thirty of the 
king's sons ; and great delicacy was felt as to the mode of 
dealing with these august thieves, so long as their pioceed- 
ings wese not quite intolerable. One of them came up, and 
engaged Mr. Park in conversation, while another ran off 
with his fowling-piece ; and, on his attempting pursuit, the 
first took the opportunity of seizing his great coat. Orders 
were now given to fire on all depredators, royal or plebeian ; 



M 



104 park's second journey. 

find, after a few shots had heen discharged without pro* 
during any fatal effects, the thieves hid themselves among 
the rocks, and were merely seen peeping through the ere" 
vices. 

The expedition continued to melt away beneath the deadly 
influence of an African climate. Every day added to the 
list of sick or dead? or of those who declared themselves 
unable to proceed. Near Pangassi, four men lay down at 
once ; it was eve*n with difficulty that Mr. Park dragged for- 
ward hi.s brother-in-law, Mr. Anderson, while he himself 
felt very sick and faint. His spirits were about to sink en-? 
tirely, when, epmjng to .an eminence, he obtained a distant 
view of the mountains, the southern base of which he knew 
to be watered by the Niger. Then indeed he forgot his 
fever, and thought only of climbing the blue hills which 
4e.lighfced his eyes. 

But three weeks, during which he experienced the 
greatest difficulty and suffering, elapsed before he could 
arrive at ,tha,t desired point. At length he reached the 
summit of the ridge which divides the Senegal from the 
Niger, arid coming to the brow of the hill, saw again this 
majestic river rolling its immense stream along the plain. 
Yet his situation and prospects were gloomy indeed, when 
compared ,to those with which he had left the banks of the 
Gambia. ,Of .thirty-eight men whom he then had with 
him, there survived only seven, all suffering from severe 
sickness, and some nearly at the last extremity. Still his 
mind was full of the most sanguine hope, especially when, 
on the 22d August, he felt himself floating on the waters 
,of the Niger, and advancing towards the ultimate object of 
his ambition. I^e hired canoes to convey his party to 
Marraboo .; and the river, here a mile in breadth, was so 
full and .so deep, that its current carried him easily over the 
rapids, but with a rapidity which was even in a .certain de- 
gree painful. 

At Marraboo he sent forward the interpreter Isaaco to 
Mansong with part of the presents, and to treat with that 
monarch for protection, as well as for permission to build 
a boat. This envoy was absent several days, during 
which great anxiety was felt, heightened by several unfa* 
vgurable rumours, among which was, that the king had 
fejjted him with his own hand and announced hJ s pnrpps,© 



park's second journey, 105 

to do the same to every white man that should come within 
his reach. These fears were dispelled by the appearance 
of the royal singing man, who brought a message of wel- 
come, with an invitation to repair to Sego, and deliver in 
person the remaining presents intended for the monarch. 
At Samee the party met Isaaco, who reported that there 
was something very odd in the reception which he had re- 
ceived from Mansong. That prince assured him, in ge- 
neral, that the expedition would be allowed to pass down 
the Niger ; but whenever the latter came to particulars, 
and proposed an interview with Mr. Park, the king began 
to draw squares and triangles with his finger on the sand ; 
and in this geometrical operation his mind seemed wholly 
absorber] Isaaco suspected that he laboured under some 
superstitious dread of white men, and sought by these 
figures to defend himself against their magic influence. It 
was finally arranged that the presents should be delivered, 
not to Mansong in person, but to Modibinne, his prime 
minister, who was to come to Samee for that purpose. He 
accordingly appeared, and began by requiring, in the king's 
name, an explanation why Park had come to Bambarra 
with so great a train from so distant a country, — allowing 
him a day to prepare his reply. Next morning the tra- 
veller gave an answer in form, representing his mission as 
chiefly commercial, and holding forth the advantages which 
Bambarra might reap by receiving European goods directly 
from the coast, instead of circuitously, as now, through 
Morocco, the Desert, Timbuctoo, and Jenne, having a profit 
levied upon them at every transfer. Modibinne expressed 
satisfaction both with the reasons and with the presents ; 
and on his return next day offered, on the part of Man- 
song, the option of building a boat either at Samee, Sego, 
Sansanding, or Jenne. Park chose Sansanding, thus en- 
abling the king to avoid a personal interview with the Eu- 
ropeans, of which he seemed to entertain so mysterious a 
dread. 

The voyage down the river was distressing ; for, though 
the fatigue of travelling was avoided, the heat was so in- 
tense that it was thought sufficient to have roasted a sirloin : 
and the sick had thus no chance of recovery. Sansanding 
was found a prosperous and flourishing town, with a crowded 
market remarkably well-arranged. The leading articles, 



106 park's second journey. 

which were cloth of Houssa or Jenne, antimony, beads, 
and indigo, were each arranged in stalls, shaded by mats 
from the heat of the sun. There was a separate market 
for salt, the main staple of their trade. The whole pre- 
sented a scene of commercial order and activity totally un- 
look^ed for in the interior of Africa. 

Mansong had promised to furnish two boats ; but they 
were late in arriving, and proved very defective. In order 
to raise money, it was necessary to sell a considerable 
quantity of goods. Nor was it without much trouble that 
the two skiffs were finally converted into the schooner Jo* 
liba, forty feet long, six broad, and drawing only one foot 
of water, the fittest form for navigating the Niger down- 
ward to the ocean. 

During Park's stay at Sansanding he had the misfortune 
to lose his brother-in-law, Mr. Anderson, to whom his at- 
tachment was so strong as to make him say,—" No event 
which took place during the journey ever threw the 
smallest gloom over my mind till I laid Mr. Anderson in 
the grave. I then felt myself as if left a second time lonely 
and friendless amid the wilds of Africa," Though the 
party was now reduced to five Europeans, one of whom 
was deranged, and though the most gloomy anticipations 
could not fail to arise in the mind of our traveller, his firm- 
ness was in no degree shaken. He announced to Lord 
Camden his fixed purpose to discover the termination of the 
Niger, or to perish in the attempt ; adding, " Though all 
the Europeans who are with me should die, and though I 
were myself half-dead, I would still persevere." To Mrs. 
Park he announced the same determination, combined with 
an undoubting confidence of success ; and the commence* 
ment of his voyage down the Niger, through the vast un- 
known regions of Interior Africa, he called " turning his 
face towards England." 

It was on the 17th November, 1805, that Park set sail 
on his last and fatal voyage. A long interval elapsed with- 
out any tidings, which, considering the great distance and 
the many causes of delay, did not at first excite alarm in 
his friends. As the following year, however, passed on, 
rumours of an unpleasant nature began to prevail. Alarmed 
toy these, and feeling a deep interest in his fate, Governor 
MfaxweU of Sierra Leone engaged Isaapo the guide, who 



park's second Journey. 10? 

had been sent to the Gambia with despatches from the 
Niger, to undertake a fresh journey to inquire after him. 
At Sansanding, Isaaco was so far fortunate as to meet 
Amadi Fatouma, who had been engaged to succeed him* 
self as interpreter. From him he received a journal put- 
porting to contain the narrative of the voyage down the 
river, and of its final issue. The party, it would appear, 
had purchased three slaves, who, with the five Europeans 
and Fatouma, increased their number to nine. They 
passed Silla and Jenne in a friendly manner ; but at Rak- 
bara (Kabra) and Timbuctoo several armed parties came 
out to attack them, who were repelled only by a smart and 
destructive fire. No particulars are given of any of those 
important places ; nor of KafFo, Gotoijege, and others, 
which the discoverers are represented as having afterward 
passed. At length they came to the village (more properly 
city) of Yaour, where Amadi Fatouma left the party, his 
services having been engaged only to that point. He had, 
however, scarcely taken his leave, when he was summoned 
before the king, who bitterly complained that the white 
men, though they brought many valuable commodities with 
them, had passed without giving him any presents. He 
therefore ordered that Fatouma should be thrown into 
irons, and a body of troops sent in pursuit of the English. 
These men reached Boussa, and took possession of a pass, 
where rocks, hemming in the river, allow only a narrow 
channel for vessels to descend. When Park arrived, he 
found the passage thus obstructed, but attempted, never- 
theless, to push his way through. " The people began to 
attack him, throwing lances, pikes, arrows, and stones. He 
defended himself for a long time ; when two of his slaves 
at the stern of the canoe were killed. The crew threw 
every thing they had into the river, and kept firing; 
but being overpowered by numbers and fatigue, and unable 
to keep up the canoe against the current, and seeing no 
probability of escaping, Mr. Park took hold of one of the 
white men, and jumped into the water. Martyn did the 
same, and they were all drowned in the stream in attempt- 
ing to escape. The only slave that remained in the boat, 
seeing the natives persist in throwing weapons into it 
without ceasing, stood up and said to them,—* Stop throw- 
ing now ; you see nothing in the canoe, and nobody bwl 



108 HORNEMAN, 

myself; therefore cease. Take me and the canoe, but 
don't kill me.' They took possession of both, and carried 
them to the king." 

These sad tidings, conveyed in course to England, were 
not for a long time received with general belief. The state- 
ment, being sifted with care, was thought to contain incon- 
sistencies, as well as such a degree of improbability as left 
some room for hope. But, as year after year elapsed, this 
hope died away; and Denham and Clapperton, in their 
late expedition, received accounts from various quarters 
which very nearly coincided with those of Amadi Fatouma. 
Park's adventures, they found, had excited the deepest in- 
terest throughout Africa. Clapperton in his last journey 
even saw the spot where he perished, which, allowing for 
some exaggeration, did not ill correspond with the descrip- 
tion just given. Nay, he received notice, as we shall here- 
after see, that Park's manuscripts were in the possession 
of the king or chief of Yaour or Youri, who offered to de- 
liver them up on condition that the captain would pay him 
a visit, which he unfortunately was never able to perform. 



CHAPTER X. 



Various Travellers — Horneman, Nicholls, Roentgen, Adams, 
Riley, 

It has been thought advisable to trace without interrup- 
tion the interesting career of Park from its commencement 
to its close. Between his two expeditions, however, there 
intervened another, which appeared to open under very 
favourable auspices. Frederic Horneman, a student of the 
university of Gottingen, communicated to Blumenbach, the 
celebrated professor of natural history, his ardent desire to 
explore the interior of Africa under the auspices of the As- 
sociation. Blumenbach transmitted to that body a strong 
recommendation of Horneman, as a young man, active, 
athletic, temperate, knowing sickness only by name, and 
of respectable ^literary and scientific attainments. Sii 



HORNEMAN. 109 

Joseph Banks immediately wrote, "If Mr. Horneman bo 
really the character you describe, he is the very person 
whom we are in search of." On receiving this encourage- 
ment, Horneman immediately applied his mind to the study 
of natural history and the Arabic language, and otherwise 
sought to fit himself for supporting the character, which ho 
intended to assume, of an Arab and a Moslem, under which 
he hoped to escape the effects of that ferocious bigotry 
which had opposed so fatal a bar to the progress of his pre- 
decessors. 

In May, 1797, Horneman repaired to London, where his 
appointment was sanctioned by the Association ; and hav- 
ing obtained a passport from the Directory, who then 
governed France, he visited Paris, and was introduced 
to some leading members of the National Institute. He 
reached Egypt in September, spent ten days at Alexan- 
dria, and set out for Cairo, to wait the departure of the 
Rashna caravan. The interval was employed in acquiring 
the language of the Mograbin Arabs, a tribe bordering on 
Egypt. While he was at Cairo, tidings arrived of Buona- 
parte's having landed in that country, when the just indig- 
nation of the natives vented itself upon all Europeans, and 
among others on Horneman, who was arrested and con- 
fined in the castle. He was relieved upon the victorious 
entry of the French commander, who immediately set him 
at liberty, and very liberally offered money and every other 
supply which might contribute to the success of his mission. 

It was the 5th of September, 1798, before Horneman 
could find a caravan proceeding to the westward, when he 
joined the one destined for Fezzan. The travellers soon 
passed the cultivated land of Egypt, and entered on an ex- 
panse of sandy waste, such as the bottom of the ocean 
might exhibit if the waters were to retire. This desert 
was covered with the fragments, as it were, of a petrified 
forest ; large trunks, branches, twigs, and even pieces of 
bark, being scattered over it. Sometimes these stony remains 
were brought in by mistake as fuel. When the caravan halted 
for the night, each individual dug a hole in the sand, gathered 
a few sticks, and prepared his victuals after the African 
fashion of kouskous, soups, or puddings. Horneman, ac- 
cording to his European habits, at first employed the ser- 
vices of another ; but finding himself thus exposed to con- 



1 J HORNEMAN. 

tempt or suspicion, he soon followed the example of th« 
rest, and became his own cook. 

There are as usual oases, or verdant spots, in this im- 
mense waste. Ten days brought the caravan to Ummeso- 
geir, a village situated on a rock, with a hundred and twenty 
inhabitants, who, separated by such immense deserts from 
the rest of the world, pass a peaceful and hospitable life, 
subsisting on dates, the chief produce of their arid soil. 

Another day's journey brought them to Siwah, a much 
more extensive oasis, the rocky border of which is estimated 
by Horneman to be fifty miles in circumference. It yields, 
with little culture, various descriptions of grain and vege- 
tables ; but its wealth consists chiefly in large gardens of 
dates, baskets of which fruit form here the standard of va- 
lue. The government is vested in a very turbulent aristo- 
cracy of about thirty chiefs, who meet in council in the vi- 
cinity of the town-wall, and, in the contests which frequently 
arise, make violent and sudden appeals to arms. The chief 
question in respect to Siwah is, whether it does or does not 
comprise the site of the celebrated shrine of Jupiter Ammon 
— that object of awful veneration to the nations of antiquity, 
and which Alexander himself, the greatest of its heroes, 
underwent excessive toil and peril to visit and to associate 
with his name. This territory does in fact contain springs, 
a small edifice with walls six feet thick, partly painted and 
adorned with hieroglyphics. There are also antique tombs 
in the neighbouring mountains ; but as the subsequent dis- 
coveries of Belzoni and Edmonston have proved that all 
these features exist in other oases scattered in different di- 
rections along the desert borders of Egypt, some uncer* 
tainty must perhaps for ever rest on this curious question. 

The route now passed through a region still indeed bar- 
ren, yet not presenting such a monotonous plain of sand as 
intervenes between Egypt and Siwah. It was bordered by 
precipitous limestone rocks, often completely filled with 
shells and marine remains. The caravan, while proceeding 
along these wild tracts, were alarmed by a tremendous 
braying of asses ; and, on looking back, saw several hun- 
dreds of the people of Siwah armed and in full pursuit, 
mounted on these useful animals. The scouts, however, 
soon brought an assurance that they came with intentions 
perfectly peaceable, having merely understood that in the 



HOK.YEMAN. 1 1 1 

caravan there were two Christians from Cairo ; on being 
allowed to kill whom, they would permit the others to pro- 
ceed unmolested. All Horneman's address and firmness 
were required in this fearful crisis. He opposed the most 
resolute denial to the assertions of the Siwahans ; he 
opened the Koran, and displayed the facility with which he 
could read its pages ; he even challenged his adversaries to 
answer him on points of Mohammedan faith. His compa- 
nions in the caravan, who took a pride in defending one of 
their members, insisted that he had cleared himself tho- 
roughly from the imputation of being an infidel ; and as 
they were joined by several of the Siwahans, the whole 
body finally renounced their bloody purpose, and returned 
home. 

The travellers next passed through Augila, a town so 
ancient as to be mentioned by Herodotus ; but now small, 
dirty, and supported solely by the passage of the inland 
trade. They then entered the Black Harutsch, a long 
range of dreary mountains (Mons Ater of the ancients), 
through the successive defiles of which they found only a 
narrow tract enclosed by rugged steeps and obstructed by 
loose stones. Every valley, too, and ravine into which 
they looked appeared still more wild and desolate than 
the road itself. A gayer scene succeeded when they en- 
tered the district of limestone mountains called the White 
Harutsch. The rocks and stones here appeared as if 
glazed, and abounded in shells and other marine petrifac- 
tions, which, on being broken, had a vitrified appearance. 

After a painful route of sixteen days through this solitary 
region, the travellers were cheered by seeing before them 
the Great Oasis, or small kingdom of Fezzan. Both at 
Temissa, the first frontier town, and at Zuila, the ancient 
capital, which is still inhabited by many rich merchants, 
they were received with rapturous demonstrations of joy. 
The arrival of a caravan is the chief event which diversifies 
the existence of the Fezzaners, and diffuses through the 
country animation and wealth. At Mourzouk, the modern 
capital, the reception was more solemn and pompous. The 
sultan himself awaited their arrival on a small eminence, 
seated in an arm-chair ornamented with cloth of various 
colours, and forming a species of throne. Each pilgrim, 
on approaching the royal seat, took off his sandals, kissed 



112 HORNEMAN. 

the sovereign's hand, and took his station behind, where the 
whole assembly joined in a chant of pious gratitude. 

Fezzan, according to Horneman, has a length of 300 and 
a breadth of 200 miles, and is much the largest of all the 
oases which enliven the immense desert of northern Africa. 
It relieves however, in only an imperfect degree, the parched 
appearance of the surrounding region. It is not irrigated 
by a river or even a streamlet of any dimensions ; the grain 
produced is insufficient for its small population, supposed 
to amount to 70,000 or 75,000 inhabitants ; and few animals 
are reared except the ass, the goat, and the camel. Dates, 
as in all this species of territory, form the chief article of 
land produce ; but Fezzan derives its main importance from 
being the centre of that immense traffic which gives activity 
and wealth to Interior Africa. Mourzouk, in the dry sea- 
son, forms a rendezvous for the caravans proceeding fr«m 
Egypt, Morocco, and Tripoli to the great countries wa- 
tered by the western rivers. Yet the trade is carried on 
less by the inhabitants themselves than by the Tibboos, the 
Tuaricks, and other wandering tribes of the desert, con- 
cerning whom our traveller collected some information, but 
less ample than Lyon and Denham afterward obtained 
from personal observation. Of Timbuctoo he did not learn 
much, Morocco being the chief quarter whence cara- 
vans proceed to that celebrated seat of African commerce. 
But respecting the eastern part of Soudan he received in- 
telligence more accurate than had hitherto reached Europe. 
Houssa was for the first time understood to be, not a single 
country or city, but a region comprehending many king- 
doms, the people of which are said to be the handsomest, 
most industrious, and most intelligent in that part of Africa, 
being particularly distinguished for their manufacture of 
fine cloths. Among the states mentioned were Kashna, 
Kano, Daura, Solan, Noro, Nyffee, Cabi, Zanfara, and 
Guba. Most or all of these were tributary to Bornou, 
which is decidedly the most powerful kingdom in Central 
Africa ; and it was so regarded even before the rise of the 
Fellatah empire, which has caused, in this respect, a re- 
markable change. The Niger, according to the unanimous 
belief in the northern provinces, was described as flowing 
from Timbuctoo eastward through Houssa, and holding the 
same direction till it joined or rather became the Bahr-el- 



HORNEMAN. 113 

Abiad, the main stream of the Egyptian Nile. Prevalent 
as this belief is among the Arabs, late discoveries have 
proved it to be entirely erroneous ; the river or rivers which 
water Houssa being wholly distinct from that great stream 
which flows through Bambarra and Timbuctoo. 

Horneman, after remaining some time at Mourzouk, had 
resolved to join a caravan which was about to proceed south- 
wards into the interior ; when, observing that the cavalcade 
consisted almost wholly of black traders, any connexion or 
intercourse with whom was likely to afford him little favour 
in the eyes of the Moors, he was induced to forego this pur- 
pose, — more especialty as there was the greatest reason to 
apprehend obstruction in passing through the country of 
the Tuaricks, who were then at war with Fezzan. He was 
informed, besides, that caravans from Bornou occasionally 
terminated their journey at Mourzouk, again returning 
south ; by which, at a future period and under more propi- 
tious circumstances, he hoped to have an opportunity of 
accomplishing his object. These considerations determined 
him to postpone his departure into the interior, resolving in 
the mean while, with the view of forwarding his despatches 
to the Association, to visit Tripoli ; where, however, he did 
not arrive till the 1 9th August, 1799, having been detained 
a considerable time by sickness. After remaining in this 
city about three months, he again returned to Mourzouk ; 
nor was it till the 6th April, 1800, that he departed thence 
for the southward, in company with two shereefs, or de- 
scendants of Mohammed, who had given him assurances of 
friendship and protection. His letters were filled with the 
most sanguine hopes of success. But the lapse of two 
years without any tidings threw a damp on the cheering 
expectations thus raised in the Association and the public. 
In September, 1803, a Fezzan merchant informed Mr. Nis- 
sen, the Danish consul at Tripoli, that Yussuph, as Home- 
man had chosen to designate himself, was seen alive and 
well on his way to Gondasch, with the intention of pro- 
ceeding to the coast and of returning to Europe. Another 
Moorish merchant afterward informed Mr. M'Donough, 
British consul at Tripoli, that Yussuph was in safety at 
Kashna in June, 1803, and was there highly respected as a 
Mussulman marabout or saint. Major Denham afterward 
learned that he had penetrated across Africa as far as NyfTe 
K2 



1 14 NICHOLLS ROENTGEN. 

on the Niger, where he fell a victim, not to any hostility on 
the part of the natives, bat to disease and the climate. A 
young man was even met with, who professed to be his son, 
though there was some doubt as to the grounds of his claim 
to that character. 

The Association, when their hopes from Horneman had 
failed, began to look round for other instruments ; and there 
was still a number of active and daring spirits ready to 
brave the dangers with which this undertaking was sur- 
rounded. Mr. Nicholls, in 1804, repaired to Calabar, in 
the Gulf of Benin, with the view of penetrating into the 
interior by this route, which appeared shorter than any 
other. He was well received by the chiefs on that coast, 
but could not gain much intelligence respecting the Niger, 
being informed that most of the slaves came from the west, 
and that the navigation of the river, at no great distance, 
was interrupted by an immense waterfall, beyond which the 
surface of the country became very elevated. Unfortu- 
nately, of all the sickly climates of Africa this is perhaps 
the most pestilential ; and Mr. Nicholls, even before he had 
commenced his journey fell a victim to the epidemic fever. 

Another German, named Roentgen, recommended also 
by Professor Blumenbach, undertook to penetrate into the 
interior of Africa by the way of Morocco. He was de- 
scribed as possessing an unblemished character, ardent zeal 
in the cause, with great strength both of mind and body. 
Like Horneman, he made himself master of Arabic, and 
proposed to pass for a Mohammedan. Having, in 1809, 
arrived at Mogadore, he hired two guides, and set out to 
join the Soudan caravan. But his career was short indeed ; 
for soon afterward his body was found at a little distance 
from the place whence he set out. No information could 
ever be obtained as to the particulars of his death ; but it 
was, too probably, conjectured that his guides had murdered 
him with the view of seizing his property. 

The public mind, meantime, continued fixed with intense 
interest on Africa, and every channel by which even the 
most imperfect information respecting it could be obtained 
was carefully examined. Much attention was at one time 
excited by tidings derived even from a foreign and rather 
doubtful source. The African coast from Morocco to the 
Senegal is singularly perilous, beset with numerous sand- 



ADAMS. 115 

banks, and without cither port or shelter. On one of these 
banks the American ship Charles struck on the morning 
of 11th October, 1810, and was so surrounded by breakers 
as to leave no hope of escaping a total wreck. The sailors 
swam ashore, but soon after daybreak were attacked by a 
band of Moors, a race ever on the watch for plunder. The 
captain was killed, apparently in consequence of rash and 
violent behaviour ; but the crew were taken prisoners, and 
divided among the captors. Adams, one of the sailors, ac- 
cording to his own statement, was carried to the border of 
Bambarra, where the Moors, who, by the practice of slave- 
stealing, had roused the hostility of the natives, were sur- 
prised, made captive, and, after four days' confinement, 
marched to Timbuctoo. The companions of Adams, after 
being presented to the king, were thrown into prison ; but 
he himself, being regarded as a curiosity, was retained in 
the palace, where he became a particular favourite of the 
queen, who used to sit gazing at him for hours. He re- 
mained there six months, well treated, and even caressed, 
when a party of Moorish traders arrived, ransomed their 
countrymen, and Adams along with them. The caravan 
reached Taudeny in thirteen days ; after which it was 
obliged to march twenty-nine days over a tract of desert, 
where there was neither plant nor shrub, a blade of grass, 
nor a drop of water. Finding the spring dry, the prospect 
of which had sustained their hope, they gave way to the 
deepest despair ; some perished, and the rest dispersed in 
search of water. Adams, having reached Ved Duleem, fell 
again under the power of the wild wanderers of the desert, 
and was carried from place to place, suffering extreme hard- 
ships ; but at length he found, at Wedinoon, three of his 
old shipmates, who, like himself, were immediately libe- 
rated by the humane interposition of M. Dupuis, British 
consul at Mogadore. He proceeded thence to London, in 
the view of obtaining a passage for America, and was found 
in the streets of that capital by a gentleman who took a 
deep interest in African affairs, and who communicated the 
fact to Mr. Cox, secretary to the Association. Adams was 
then strictly examined, and his statements taken down in 
wilting; while M. Dupuis, the consul, who happened to be 
in London, confirmed the general fact of the shipwreck and 
captivity. Hence there appeared little room to doubt the 



116 ADAMS. 

correctness of his relation. The remarks, however* of 
M. Graberg de Hemso, Swedish consul at Tripoli, lately 
given in the Foreign Review, seem to justify the suspicion 
that this narrative was in the main fictitious ; that though 
Adams was cast ashore on the Sahara, it was in 1811 in- 
stead of 1810, as he asserted ; that he never was south of 
Cape Blanco, and could not therefore have known Tim- 
buctoo except by report. His real name, besides, was 
Benjamin Rose. At all events, he appears to have made 
diligent inquiries as to the state of the country ; and his 
details, accordingly, as corrected by M. Dupuis, have en- 
abled the public to form a pretty accurate opinion respect- 
ing Timbuctoo, 

The picture drawn by him of this city was different from, 
and in many respects quite the reverse of, that hitherto 
presented to Europeans. There is said to exist nothing 
of that uncontrolled sway and fierce intolerance of the 
Moors, the belief of which was so strongly impressed upon 
Park. On the contrary, the king, and all his principal offi- 
cers were negroes ; the few religious ceremonies observed 
were pagan ; and the Moors were allowed to enter the town 
only in small numbers, and under very rigid restrictions. 
This statement, which appeared at first improbable, has, 
however, been confirmed by subsequent accounts. The 
rumours that intolerance prevailed to such an extent in 
this seat of trade were, we may presume, exaggerated from 
the very first ; but L'Hagi Mohammed, a resident at the 
well of Aroan, told M. Cahill of Rabat, that, subsequently 
to Mr. Park's first journey, the king of Bambarra had con- 
quered Timbuctoo, and established there a negro govern- 
ment. This is confirmed by Mr. Jackson, and agrees also 
with the report which we shall find to be given by Riley. 
The description of that city, again, corresponded very little 
with the ideas formerly entertained of its pomp and splen- 
dour. The most spacious mansions could scarcely rank 
above huts, being composed of timber frames filled with 
earth, and only one story high ; while the habitations of 
the lower orders were formed by putting together branches 
of trees, and covering them with mats made of the pal- 
metto. Even the king's palace, or citadel, was represented 
as only a collection of apartments on the ground floor, en- 
closed by a mud wall. This, in face, is an exact descrip- 



RILEY. 117 

tion of all the African cities, where lofty structures of solid 
stone, in which consists the magnificence of European ca- 
pitals, are totally unknown. The queen, immensely fat, 
tvas rather splendidly dressed in blue nankeen (the fine cot- 
ton cloth of the country dyed with indigo) edged with gold 
lace, and was lavishly ornamented with necklaces and ear- 
rings of gold. The inhabitants, like most negroes, were 
good-humoured, extremely gay, somewhat dissolute, and 
passionately fond of dancing, in which they spent great 
part of the night. Yet they had furious quarrels, in de- 
ciding which they employed, with desperation, not the fist 
only, but even the teeth. Slaves, the commodity always 
most eagerly sought after by the Moors, were procured by 
those marauding expeditions which are the disgrace and 
scourge of Central Africa. The citizens were accustomed 
to set out monthly in parties of from one to five hundred, 
and usually returned with a large supply. Slavery is, 
moreover, the punishment for all offences of great magni- 
tude, though it is not very frequently inflicted. 

James Riley, supercargo of the American brig Commerce, 
sailing from Gibraltar to the Cape de Verd Islands, found 
himself suddenly involved in fog and tempest. On the 28th 
August, 1815, the vessel ran aground in the neighbourhood 
of Cape Bojador. The crew, on landing, were assailed by 
a small band of armed natives, whose appearance indicated 
the utmost degree of poverty and ferocity. They began 
forthwith an indiscriminate plunder, emptied trunks, boxes, 
and casks, cut open the beds, and amused themselves with 
seeing the feathers fly before the wind. The sailors, in the 
mean while, were endeavouring to patch up their long-boat 
as a means of escape, but were greatly mortified, on the ap- 
proach of dawn, to observe from their shattered wreck, on 
which they had passed a melancholy night, a much more 
numerous band of these merciless savages. By perfidious 
gestures addressed to the captain, whom they had recognised 
as commander, they now induced Mr. Riley to land ; upon 
which they put their daggers to his breast. He contrived, 
however, by stratagem, to make his escape to the long-boat 
which was attached to the ship, when the crew immediately 
pushed out to sea, resolved to brave all the dangers of that 
element. Accordingly they worked a little way along the 
shore, incessantly employed in baling their crazy bark ; bitf 



118 RILEY. 

as the leaks increased, while provisions and water failed, 
Riley and his men came to the conclusion, that by remain- 
ing at sea they must perish, and on land they could do no 
more. They retouched the coast near Cape Barbas on the 
8th September, but finding it to consist of perpendicular 
rocks, they walked four miles, and finally clambered up 
broken fragments, almost at the risk of life, ere they could 
reach the summit. But what a scene was there presented ! 
Before them extended an immeasurable plain, without a 
shrub, plant, or a blade of grass ; nothing that even for a 
moment could support human life. They fell to the ground, 
exclaiming, " 'Tis enough ! — here we must breathe our 
last !" From such utter despair even the horrors of Afri- 
can bondage appeared almost a deliverance. Towards 
evening a light was descried gleaming along the waste, in- 
dicating that they were ir« the neighbourhood of a band of 
these marauders. Having waited till morning they ap- 
proached the camp, and prostrated themselves in a suppliant 
attitude. The Arabs uttered a furious yell, and immedi- 
ately engaged in a violent contest for the living booty thus 
unexpectedly presented. This dispute ended in a division 
of the sailors among the barbarians, by whom the captives 
were hurried in different directions into the interior of the 
wilderness. The sufferings of Riley were so extreme as 
made him almost regret the life which he had saved, till he 
met Sidi Hamet, a respectable caravan-merchant, who, in 
bargaining for his person, showed much sympathy for his 
situation, and undertook to conduct him to Mogadore, pro- 
vided he were made sure of a good ransom. The American 
soon had the satisfaction of seeing two blankets, a cotton 
robe, and a bundle of ostrich feathers paid as the price of his 
liberty. He prevailed on the Mussulman also to purchase 
his companions ; after which they set out together to cross 
the Desert with their master and deliverer. They had a 
very painful journey to perform, riding with the utmost ra- 
pidity on the naked backs of camels, over hills of loose 
sand, while the air was filled with tempests of drift. Food 
and water being moreover very scanty, they were reduced 
almost to the condition of skeletons, and Riley declares 
that he did not ultimately weigh above ninety pounds. His 
mind also was oppressed with much anxiety, as Sidi Hamet, 
with all his humanity, gave notice from time* to time, that, 



RILEY. 119 

fhould his expectations as to the ransom fail, he would cut 
all their throats. Having procured, therefore, a reed and 
some black liquid, Riley wrote a pathetic representation of 
his sufferings, addressed generally to the consuls or to any 
Christians who might happen to be resident at Mogadore. 
After eight days of dreadful suspense, a letter arrived. His 
emotion was too great to allow him to read it ; but one of 
his companions found it to be from Mr. Wiltshire, the Eng- 
lish consul, expressed in the most sympathizing terms, 
and with an assurance that the ransom would be provided. 
This was faithfully performed ; and a hospitable reception 
at Mogadore soon restored Riley to health and to his former 
dimensions. 

The most interesting part of the intelligence, however, 
obtained on this occasion, was that communicated to Riley 
by Sidi Hamet, concerning his op journeys and adven- 
tures. He had accompanied a caravan to Timbuctoo, and 
after much exertion and suffering had arrived at the banks 
of the Gozen Zair, which, running eastward through Sou- 
dan, falls into the Niger. He followed its current till he 
reached the capital just named, which, like Adams, he de- 
scribed as being entirely ruled and possessed by negroes ; 
though a smaller town, separated by a strong wall, was as- 
signed to the Moors, who were only allowed to enter the 
principal city by fifties at a time. He represents Timbuc- 
too, on the whole, as being larger and handsomer than it 
had appeared to his countryman. The shegar, or king, 
happened to send a caravan southward to the city of Was- 
sanah, which Sidi Hamet resolved to accompany. A ride 
of two hours brought the travellers to the banks of the Zo- 
libib (Joliba of Park, and our Niger). Its course for six 
days was nearly due east, when it turned to the south-east, 
and continued to flow in that direction during the remainder 
of their journey. At length, after travelling in all about 
sixty days, they arrived at Wassanah, which appeared to 
Sidi Hamet a city twice as large as Timbuctoo. The inha- 
bitants were pagans, but honest, hospitable, and kind- 
hearted. Oleebo, the king, lived in a large and lofty pa- 
lace, had 150 wives, 10,000 slaves, and a very large army 
But the chief interest was excited by a report received from 
the king's brother, of expeditions which were sent down 
the river, consisting of numerous boats with large cargoes 



120 TUCKEY. 

of slaves. They were described as sailing two months, 
first south and then west, till they came to the great water, 
where they met pale people with large boats, and guns 
which made a noise like thunder. This relation was ea- 
gerly embraced as favouring the supposition of the Niger 
being the same river with the Congo or Zaire ; and it may 
even be adduced to support the hypothesis which now iden- 
tifies it with the river of Benin. The south-east and 
southerly course assigned to the Niger, as well as the as- 
sertion that it flowed among rocks and formed cataracts, 
having been since found to be correct, though contrary to 
the ideas then prevalent in Europe, are facts which afford 
reasonable ground to believe that this journey was not al- 
together a romance. It is not easy, however, to conjecture 
what was the city described by Sidi Hamet under the name 
of Wassanah. 



CHAPTER XL 



Government Expeditions — Tuckey, Campbell, Laing, Gray, 
Ritchie, and Lyon. 

The fate of Park, notwithstanding the deep regret which 
it had excited in England and in Europe, presented nothing 
which could destroy the hope of future success. The 
chief cause of failure could be easily traced to the precipi- 
tation into which he had been betrayed by a too ardent en- 
thusiasm. Nothing had even been discovered adverse to 
the hypothesis which identifies the Niger with the Congo, 
and which still retained a strong hold on the public mind. 
The views of government and of the nation on this subject 
were entirely in unison. It was therefore determined that 
an expedition on a great scale should be fitted out, divided 
into two portions — one to descend the Niger, and the other 
to ascend the Congo ; which two parties, it was fondly 
hoped, would effect a triumphant meeting in the middle of 
the great stream that they were sent to explore. The pub- 
lic loudly applauded this resolution; and never, perhaps, 



TUCKEY. 121 

did a military or naval armament, by which the most splen- 
did victories were expected to be achieved, excite a deeper 
interest than this, which seemed destined to triumph over 
the darkness that had so long enveloped the vast interior of 
the African continent. 

The expedition to the Congo was intrusted to Captain 
Tuckey, an officer of merit and varied services, and who 
had published several works connected with geography and 
navigation. Besides a crew of about fifty individuals, in- 
cluding marines and mechanics, he was accompanied by 
Mr. Smith, an eminent botanist, who likewise possessed 
some knowledge of geology ; Mr. Cranch, a self-taught but 
able zoologist ; Mr. Tudor, a good comparative anatomist ; 
Mr. Lockhart, a gardener from Kew ; and Mr. Galwey, an 
intelligent person who volunteered to join the party. They 
sailed from Deptford on the 16th February, 1816, and 
reached Malemba on the 30th June, where they met with a 
most cordial reception from the mafook, or king's merchant^ 
in the belief that they were come to make up a cargo of 
slaves. The chiefs, on being reluctantly convinced of the 
contrary, burst into the most furious invectives against the 
crowned heads of Europe, particularly our own most gra- 
cious sovereign, whom they denominated u the Devil," im- 
puting chiefly to him the stop put to this odious but lucra- 
tive traffic. A few days thereafter brought the English into 
the channel of the Congo ; which, to their great surprise, 
instead of exhibiting the stupendous magnitude they had 
been taught to expect, scarcely appeared a river of the se- 
cond class. The stream, it is true, was then at the lowest, 
but the depth being still more than 150 fathoms, made 
it impossible to estimate the mass of water which its 
channel might convey to the ocean. The banks were 
swampy, overgrown with mangrove trees ; and the deep 
silence and repose of these immense forests made a solemn 
impression upon the mind. At Embomma, the emporium 
of the Congo, much interest was excited by the discovery 
that a negro officiating as cook's mate was a prince of the 
blood. He was welcomed with rapture by his father, and 
with a general rejoicing by the whole village. The young 
savage was soon arrayed in full African pomp, having on 
an embroidered coat very much tarnished, a silk sash, and 
a black glazed-hat, surmounted by an enormous feathe.. 



122 TUCKEY. 

Captain Tuckey was introduced to the chenoo^ who, with 
his huge gilt buttons, stockings of pink sarsenet, red half- 
boots, and high-crowned embroidered hat, reminded him of 
punch in a puppet-show. It was vain to attempt to convey 
to this sage prince any idea of the objects of the expedition. 
The terms which express science and an enlightened cu- 
riosity did not excite in his mind a single idea, and he rang 
continual changes on the questions, "Are you come to 
trade ?" and " Are you come to make war]" — unable to con- 
jecture any other motive. At length, having received a solemn 
declaration that there was no intention to make war, he 
sealed peace by the acceptance of a large present of brandy. 
After sailing between ridges of high rocky hills, the ex- 
pedition came to the Yellala, or Great Cataract ; and here 
they met with a second disappointment. Instead of an- 
other Niagara, which general report had led them to expect, 
they saw only " a comparative brook bubbling over its stony 
bed." The fall appears to be occasioned merely by masses 
of granite, fragments of which have fallen down and blocked 
up the stream. Yet this obstruction rendered it quite im- 
possible for the boats to pass ; nor could they be carried 
across the precipices and deep ravines by which the coun- 
try was intersected. The discoverers were therefore obliged 
to proceed by land through this difficult region, which, 
without a guide on whom they could rely, was attended 
with overwhelming toil. Cooloo, Inga, and Mavoonda, the 
principal villages, were separated by wide intervals, which 
placed the travellers under the necessity of often sleeping in 
the open air. At length the country began to improve and 
become more level, the river to widen, while the obstacles 
to its navigation gradually disappeared. But just as the 
voyage began to assume a prosperous aspect, indications 
of its fatal termination were already perceptible. The health 
of the party was rapidly giving way under the effects of 
fatigue, as well as the malignant influence of a damp and 
burning atmosphere. Tudor, Cranch, and Galwey were 
successively obliged to return to the ship. Captain Tuckey, 
after struggling for some time against the increasing pres- 
sure of disease and exhaustion, as well as the accumulating 
difficulties of the undertaking, saw the necessity of putting 
a stop to the farther progress of the expedition. Mr. Smith 
at first expressed deep disappointment at this resolution, 



PEDDIK. 123 

but soon became so ill that he could scarcely be conveyed 
to the vessel. On reaching it, a sad scene awaited the sur 
vivors. Cranch, Tudor, and Galwey were no more ; they 
had successively sunk under the weight of disease. Mr. 
Smith soon shared their fate ; and Captain Tuckey himself, 
on the 4th October, added one more to the number of deaths, 
without having suffered the usual attack of fever. He hid 
been exhausted by constant depression and mental anxiety. 

From this unhappy expedition, however, some informa- 
tion was obtained respecting a part of Africa which had not 
been visited for several centuries. No trace, indeed, was 
seen of the great kingdoms, or of the cities and armies de- 
scribed by the Portuguese missionaries ; so that, though the 
interior may very probably be more populous than the banks 
of the river, there must, in these pious narratives, have been 
much exaggeration. The largest towns, or rather villages, 
did not contain above a hundred houses, with five or six 
hundred inhabitants. They were gove rned by chenoos, or 
hereditary chiefs, having a power nearly absolute, and by 
mafooks under them, who were chiefly employed in the 
collection of revenue. The people are merry, idle, good- 
humoured, hospitable, and liberal, with rather an innocent 
and agreeable expression of countenance. The greatest 
blemish in their character appears in the treatment of the 
female sex, on whom they devolve all the laborious duties 
of life, even more exclusively than is usual among negro 
tribes ; holding their virtue also in such slender esteem, 
that the greatest chiefs unblushingly made it an object of 
traffic. Upon this head, however, they have evidently 
learned much evil from their intercourse with Europeans. 
— The character of the vegetation, and the general aspect 
of nature, are pretty nearly the same on the Congo as on 
the other African rivers. 

Meantime the other part of the expedition under Major 
Peddie, whose destination it was to descend the Niger, ar- 
rived at the mouth of the Senegal. Instead of the beaten 
track along the banks of that river, or of the Gambia, he 
preferred the route through the country of the Foulah% 
which, though nearer, was more difficult and less explored. 
On the 17th November, 1816, he sailed from the Senegal, 
and on 14th December, the party, consisting of 100 men 
*nd 200 animals, landed at Kakundy, on the Rio Nunez ; 



124 CAMPBELL GRAY. 

but before they could begin their march, Major Peddie was 
attacked with fever and died. Captain Campbell, on whom 
the command devolved, proceeded in the line proposed, till 
he arrived at a small river called the Panietta, on the fron- 
tier of the Foulah territory. By this time many of the 
beasts of burden had sunk, and great difficulty was found 
in obtaining a sufficient supply of provisions. The king 
of the Foulahs, on being asked for permission to pass 
through his territories, seemed alarmed at hearing of so 
large a body of foreigners about to enter his country. He 
contrived, under various pretexts, to detain them on the 
frontier four months, during which their stock of food and 
clothing gradually diminished, while they were suffering 
all the evils that arise from a sickly climate and a scanty 
supply of necessaries. At length their situation became 
such as to place them under the absolute necessity of re- 
turning ; and all their animals being dead, it was neces- 
sary to hire the natives to carry their baggage, — an expe- 
dient which gave occasion to frequent pillage. They 
reached Kakundy with the loss only of Mr. Kummer the natu- 
ralist ; bat Captain Campbell, overcome with sickness and 
exertion, died two days after, on the 13th of June, 1817 
The command was then transferred to Lieutenant Stokoe, 
a spirited young naval officer, who had joined the expedi- 
tion as a volunteer. He formed a new scheme for proceed- 
ing into the interior ; but unhappily he also sunk under the 
climate and the fatigues of the journey. 

A sentence of death seemed pronounced against all who 
should attempt to penetrate the African continent ; and yet 
there were still daring spirits who did not shrink from the 
undertaking. Captain Gray, of the Royal African Corps, 
who had accompanied the last-mentioned expedition under 
Major Peddie and Captain Campbell, undertook, in 1818, to 
perform a journey by Park's old route along the Gambia. 
He reached, without any obstacle, Boolibani, the capital of 
Bondou, where he remained from the 20th June, 1818, to 
the 22d May, 1819 ; but owing to the jealousy of the mo- 
narch, he was permitted to proceed no farther. With some 
difficulty he reached Gallam, where he met Staff-surgeon 
Dockard, who had gone forward to Sego to ask permission 
to proceed through Bambarra, — a request which had also 
Oeen evaded. The whole party then returned to Senegal. 



LAING RITCHIE — LYON. 125 

In 1821, Major Laing was sent on a mission from Sierra 
Leone, through the Timannee, Kooranko, and Soolima 
countries, with the view of forming some commercial ar- 
rangements. On this journey he found reason to believe 
that the source of the Niger lay much farther to the south 
than Park had supposed. At Falaba, he was assured that 
it might have been reached in three days, had not the Kissi 
nation, in whose territory it was situated, been at war with 
the Soolimanas, with whom Major Laing then resided. 
He was inclined to fix the source of this great river a very 
little above the ninth degree of latitude. 

The British government were, meantime, indefatigable 
in their endeavours to find out other channels for exploring 
the interior of Africa. The bashaw of Tripoli, though he 
had usurped the throne by violent means, showed a dispo- 
sition to improve his country by admitting the arts and 
learning of Europe ; while the judicious conduct of Consul 
"Warrington inclined him to cultivate the friendship of Bri- 
tain. Through his tributary kingdom of Fezzan he held close 
and constant communication with Bornou and the other 
leading states of Central Africa ; and he readily undertook 
to promote the views of any English expedition which 
might proceed in that direction. Such an opportunity was 
not to be lost. The usual means were supplied by the mi- 
nistry, and the ordinary inducements held forth by the As- 
sociation. Mr. Ritchie, a young man of scientific acquire- 
ments and zeal for discovery, undertook the direction of this 
adventure. Captain Marrayat of the navy proposed to ac- 
company him ; but, being prevented by private considera- 
tions, his place was taken by Lieutenant Lyon, who, as a 
naval officer, was expected to be useful in navigating the 
Niger when the party should reach that river. The mis- 
sion were perfectly well received at Tripoli, and .set out on 
the 22d March, 1819, for Fezzan, with Mukni, the sultan, 
who gave them the most solemn assurances of protection. 
This chief, however, was a ruffian, who had made his way 
to power by the massacre of the late sovereign and his bro- 
ther, and who supported his favour at Tripoli by annual 
slave-hunts, which he extended over the whole Desert to the 
frontier of Soudan. Thus he brought annually to Tripoli 
4000 or 5000 of those unhappy victims, a large proportion of 
whom were bestowed in presents to his liege lord. Undei 
L 2 



126 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

such guardianship the mission could not be sure of that 
support of which they soon stood very much in need. Mo»r- 
zouk was found extremely unhealthy, being intensely hot, 
and surrounded by pools of stagnant water, which rendered 
even the natives liable to fever and ague. The members 
of the expedition soon felt its effects, Lieutenant Lyon be- 
ing seized with dysentery, and Mr. Ritchie with bilious 
fever, under which they languished during the whole sum- 
mer. The treacherous Mukni not only withheld all ai<3, 
but studiously prevented others from giving them assistance. 
At length Mr. Ritchie, overwhelmed by disease and anxiety, 
died on the 20th November, 1819 ; after which Mr. Lyon 
found himself without the means of penetrating farther 
than to the southern frontier of Fezzan. He obtained in- 
deed a good deal of information respecting the remoter 
countries, which, however, has been rendered less important 
by the fuller and more recent intelligence received through 
Denham and Clapperton. He passes a very unfavourable 
judgment upon the territory of Fezzan, which he considers 
nearly as barren as any part of the surrounding Desert. 
The cultivation is confined to a few gardens, into which 
water is raised by immense labour from wells of consider- 
able depth. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Journey of Denham and Clapperton. 

Nothing could shake the determination of the British go- 
vernment to obtain, by some means or other, a competent 
degree of information respecting the unknown countries of 
Africa. The great favour and influence enjoyed at the 
court of Tripoli was still regarded as a favourable circum- 
stance. It was chiefly due, as already observed, to the pru- 
dence and ability of Mr. Warrington, without whose advice 
scarcely any thing of importance was transacted. The ba- 
shaw was therefore disposed to renew his protection to any 
mission which Britain might send. Nor could the protec- 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 127 

tion of any sovereign have been more efficient ; for the 
influence of this petty prince and the terror of his name 
are almost unbounded in the greatest kingdoms of Central 
Africa. One weapon, the gun, in the hands of his troops, 
gives him all this superiority ; for the remoter nations, from 
the Nile to the Atlantic, scarcely know any other arms be- 
sides the spear, the bow, and the javelin. A musket among 
those tribes is an object of almost supernatural dread ; indi- 
viduals have been seen kneeling down before it, speaking 
to it in whispers, and addressing to it earnest supplications. 
With troops thus armed, the bashaw of Tripoli is esteemed 
in Northern Africa the most potent monarch on earth ; and 
it is a matter of surprise among the natives that he has not 
ere now compelled all Europe to embrace the Mohammedan 
faith. He could therefore assure the English, that for any 
but physical obstacles, they might travel as safely from Tri- 
poli to Bornou, as from Edinburgh to London. 

Under the confidence inspired by these circumstances, 
government prepared another expedition, and without diffi- 
culty procured a fresh band of adventurers, w r ho undertook 
to brave all its perils. Major Denham, Lieutenant Clap- 
perton of the navy, and Dr. Oudney, a naval surgeon pos- 
sessing a considerable knowledge of natural history, were 
appointed to this service. Without delay they proceeded to 
Tripoli, where they arrived on the 18th November, 1821. 
They were immediately introduced to the bashaw, whom 
they found sitting cross-legged on a carpet, attended by 
armed negroes. After treating them to sherbet and coffee, 
he invited them to a hawking party, where he appeared 
mounted on a milk-white Arabian steed superbly capari- 
soned, having a saddle of crimson velvet richly studded 
with gold nails, and with embroidered trappings. He was 
preceded by six chaoushes, or officers, in white silk robes ; 
while two favourite negro slaves, in glittering vest, light 
burnouse, and white turban, supported him on each side. 
The hunt began on the borders of the Desert, where parties 
of six or eight Arabs dashed forwards quick as lightning, 
fired suddenly, and rushed back with loud cries. The skill 
with which they manoeuvred their steeds, whirling the long 
musket over their heads as they rodr at full gallop, appeared 
quite surprising. 

Although the English were personally well treated at Tri- 



128 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

poli, they could not shut their eyes to the reigning barba- 
rism. The sheik, Belgassum Khalifa, a fine old Arab, un- 
derstood to be high in the favour of the bashaw, had been 
one evening at an elegant entertainment in the palace, when 
on reaching his own door a pistol-shot wounded him in the 
arm, and on his entering the passage a second penetrated 
his body. He staggered into theliouse, denouncing his own 
nephew as the author of the assassination. The murderers 
rushed in, and completed their crime by stabbing him seven 
times with their daggers, while his wife received two wounds 
in endeavouring to save him. The three actors in this tra- 
gedy instantly fled for protection to the British consulate ; 
but Mr. Warrington sent notice to the bashaw, " that the 
murderers of Khalifa would find no protection under the 
flag of England." That chief, however, either privy to the 
crime, or disposed to wink at its commission, expressed his 
regret that the guilty persons had found shelter in the con- 
sulate ; but added, that he could not think of violating such 
a sanctuary. Repeated assurance was given that he might 
send any force, or use any means, to drag them from be- 
neath a banner that never was disgraced by giving protec- 
tion to assassins. The bashaw at length, ashamed of his 
apathy, sent sixteen stout fellows, by whom the ruffians 
were seized ; and in less than an hour the murderers were 
seen hanging from the castle- walls. 

The mission, fortified with recommendations to the sul- 
tan of Fezzan, now entered upon their long and dreary pil- 
grimage to Mourzouk, where they arrived on the 8th April, 
1822. This prince received them with courtesy and affa- 
bility, but gave himself very little trouble in making provi- 
sion for the continuance of their journey. He even inti- 
mated his intention of visiting Tripoli, and the necessity of 
their remaining till his return. This arrangement was most 
disheartening ; nor did they know what reliance to place in 
the sincerity of Boo Khalloom, a great merchant, who in- 
vited them to accompany an expedition which he was pre- 
paring for Soudan. The sultan and he soon after departed, 
each with large presents for the bashaw, to intrigue against 
one another at the court of Tripoli. After this there was 
scarcely a camel left in Fezzan, or any other means of pro- 
secuting discovery. Major Denham then saw no alterna- 
tive but that he himself should hasten back to Tripoli, and 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTOK. 129 

remonstrate with the bashaw on this apparent violation of 
his promise. After a tedious journey of twenty days, with 
only three attendants, he arrived, and waited on the barba- 
rian, who received him with his usual courtesy ; but, not 
giving that full satisfaction which was expected, the Major 
lost no time in setting sail for England, to lodge a complaint 
with his own court. This step was painfully felt by the 
bashaw, who sent vessel after vessel, one of which at last 
overtook Major Denham while performing quarantine at 
Marseilles, and announced that arrangements were actually 
made with Boo Khalloom for escorting him to the capital 
of Bornou. Accordingly, on the Major's return to Tri- 
poli, he found the Arab chief already on the borders of the 
Desert. 

This trader, who was now to be a guide to the English 
into the immense regions of the south, was a personage of 
a very different character from what we in this country can 
form any idea of. The African caravan-merchant has no- 
thing in common with that respectable class of men who, 
seated in counting-houses at London or Amsterdam, direct 
the movement of their ships over the ocean, and count the 
silent accumulation of their profits. He, on the contrary, 
must accompany his merchandise from one extremity to the 
other of a great continent, and across its immense deserts, 
the scene of much suffering, and frequently of death itself. 
Nor is it from a parched wilderness and a burning climate 
that he has most to apprehend. His path is every where 
beset by bands whose trade is plunder, and who find amuse- 
ment in assassination. He must therefore have his pro- 
perty guarded by armed men, ready to defend with their 
blood what his money has purchased. These followers, 
Deing in continual service, and exposed to frequent fight- 
ing, become practised soldiers, and are more than a match 
for the roving barbarians who infest the Sahara. Even 
the greatest princes view these merchant-chiefs with fear 
and jealousy ; and though they contrive to draw consider- 
able advantage from their trade, scarcely consider the king- 
dom as their own while their troops are within its boun- 
daries. The merchants, unhappily, do not confine them- 
selves to self-defence ; but, seeing robbery practised on 
every side against themselves, begin to retaliate, and soon 
find it cheaper, and, according to African ideas, not less 



130 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTOtf. 

honourable, to replenish their stores by plunder than by pur- 
chase. Slaves, the staple of their trade, are generally ob- 
tained by the most atrocious violence, in expeditions called 
ghrazzies or felateas, undertaken solely for that guilty pur- 
pose ; but, by engaging in such enterprises themselves, the 
merchants enjoy the benefit, since they reckon it such, of 
paying in blood instead of money. Provided they can es- 
cape the dangers and casualties to which they are exposed, 
their profits are immense, the value of merchandise being 
somewhat more than tripled by its conveyance across the 
Desert. Thus a few successful journeys enable a man to 
acquire a fortune almost princely, and a high degree of in- 
fluence in the Barbary States. In short, the merchant, the 
warrior, the prince, the thief, are united in this extraordi- 
nary character ; and he is prepared, according to circum- 
stances, to act in one or in all of these capacities. Yet 
Boo Khalloom might be reckoned a good specimen of this 
evil race. He possessed an enlarged and liberal mind, and 
was honourable, and even humane, so far as a slave-mer- 
chant could retain these qualities ; he was dragged, too, 
with reluctance into the most odious parts of his vocation, 
— while at home his generosity was such as to make him 
almost idolized. 

Under the guidance of this remarkable personage Major 
Denham set forth, with almost the full assurance of reach- 
ing those depths of Africa from which no European had 
•ever yet returned. Little occurred to diversify the usual 
monotony of a desert route, till they arrived at Sockna, 
where Boo Khalloom, who was fond of display, determined 
to make his entrance with almost kingly pomp. He rode a 
white Tunisian horse, with gilded saddle and trappings of 
scarlet cloth bordered with gold ; his dress consisted of va- 
rious caftans and robes of the richest silks, adorned with 
gold buttons, lace, and embroidery : the burnouse, a present 
£rom the bashaw, had cost 400 dollars. The citizens meet- 
ing the party with shouts and guns, and the females with 
singing and dancing, formed a species of triumphal proces- 
sion. Several days were spent at Sockna, Boo Khalloom 
being ill, and wishing to try the efiect of various charms 
and superstitious remedies. The English, meantime, wit- 
nessed a great marriage ceremony, the chief pomp of which 
consisted in placing the bride in a basket on the back of a 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 131 

camel and leading her round the town, while numerous 
horsemen galloped up and discharged their muskets quite 
close to her head ; the honour of which compliment was 
understood to compensate for the fear which it could not fail 
to occasion. 

In journeying onwards to Mourzouk the travellers passed 
aloni* the naked sides of the Gebel Assoud, which the Major 
crossed now for the third time ; but no familiarity could 
relieve the sense of dreariness and misery which its aspect 
occasioned. A rainy day came as a blessing to the whole 
party, especially to the poor slaves, on whom Boo Khalloom 
had only in special kindness bestowed one draught of water 
in the day to cool their burning thirst. On the 30th Oc- 
tober the caravan made its entry into Mourzouk with simi- 
lar pomp as into Sockna, amid the shouts of the inhabitants, 
whom the chief, by his liberality, had inspired with the 
warmest attachment. The Major, however, was much dis- 
heartened by not seeing any of his countrymen amid the 
joyous crowd ; and his fears were confirmed by finding Dr. 
Oudney just recovering from a severe attack in the chest, 
and Mr. Clapperton in bed the fifteenth day with ague, — 
facts which, combined with the unfortunate result of the 
last expedition and the sickly look of the natives themselves, 
indicated some peculiarly baneful influence, without any 
visible cause, in the climate of Mourzouk. 

Invalids so severely afflicted were not very fit to begin a 
ong and laborious journey ; but their ardour was extreme, 
and imagining that a change of air would be beneficial, they 
contrived, even before Boo Khalloom was ready to set out, 
to move forward to Gatrone, leaving Major Denham behind 
at Mourzouk. On the 29th November the whole caravan 
broke up from that city, and began their journey through 
the Desert. They were escorted by nearly every inhabitant 
who could muster a horse. The expedition, besides the 
English, comprised 210 Arabs, ranged in tens and twenties, 
under different chiefs. The most numerous were the 
M'Garha, who, to the amount of seventy, came from the 
barren shore of the Syrtes. These barbarians enlivened 
the route by their traditionary tales, their songs, their ex- 
temporary poems, in which all the incidents of the journey 
itself were narrated ; in short, by an inexhaustible fund of 
wit and vivacity. Their pride, their revenge, their rob* 



132 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

beries, did not come into view in their intercourse with the 
English, who, being received into their camp, having eaten 
of their bread and salt, and being bound in the cord of 
friendship, were entitled to all the rights of hospitality, and 
would have been protected even at the hazard of life. 

The caravan arrived in due time at Traghan, a small 
town containing a fine carpet-manufactory, and ruled by a 
marabout, who used the sanctity of his character to main- 
tain order and promote the prosperity of the place. Pass- 
ing that station they were soon in the heart of the Desert, 
where they spent whole days without seeing a living thing, 
even a bird or an insect, that did not belong to the caravan 
itself. After painful marches under the direct action of the 
solar rays, they were delighted by the stillness and beauty 
of the night. The moon and stars shone with peculiar 
brilliancy ; cool breezes succeeded to the burning heat of 
the day ; and on removing a few inches of the loose hot 
soil, a soft and refreshing bed was obtained. Even the 
ripple of the blowing sand sounded like a gentle and mur- 
muring stream. Every noise was rendered doubly impres- 
sive by the deep stillness, as well as by an echo from the 
surface of the surrounding waste. The road derived a very 
peculiar aspect from the quantity of salt with which the 
soil was impregnated ; the clods were often cracked so as 
to resemble a ploughed field ; and from the sides of cavities 
were hanging beautiful crystals of that mineral like the 
finest frost-work. Sometimes the ground for several miles 
was glazed over, resembling a sheet of ice ; but though the 
surface was very hard, the interior was brittle, and the salt 
fell away in flakes. 

The travellers had not proceeded far when the melan- 
choly aspect of the Desert was heightened by a succession 
of objects which could not be viewed without the deepest 
horror. The ground was strewed with the skeletons of 
former travellers, who had perished in the attempt to cross 
this extensive wilderness. These at first appeared singly, 
but afterward increased till they amounted to fifty or sixty 
in a day. At Meshroo a hundred were seen together ; and 
near the wells at El Hammar they were found lying in 
countless multitudes. One forenoon, as Major Denham 
was dozing on horseback, he was awakened by the sound 
of something crashing under his horse's feet, and on look- 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 133 

ing down, saw the animal trampling on two perfect human 
skeletons. A movement of one of the feet had separated 
the scull from the trunk, and driven it forward like a ball. 
In some of these remains portions of the flesh and hair 
were left, and even the features were still distinguishable. 
Two female skeletons lay closely twined together, having 
evidently been faithful friends, who had died in each other's 
arms. The Arabs gave little proof of their boasted sensi- 
bility in the utter indifference with which they viewed these 
dismal objects, driving about the limbs with their firelocks, 
passing coarse jests upon the dead, and deriding the sym- 
pathy manifested by their English companions. They told 
them these were only blacks, " damn their fathers," — the 
barbarous prejudices arising from difference of religion and 
lineage having thus extinguished in their breasts every touch 
of human sympathy. Major Denham appears in one place 
to countenance the popular belief that these bodies were the 
remains of caravans buried beneath tempests of moving 
sand ; but none of his facts support this conclusion, or con- 
tradict the opinion of Browne, that such victims have in 
most instances perished from other causes. They were 
lying open and exposed, without even a covering of dust ; 
and the catastrophe of the largest group was too well known, 
having been a body of slaves, the chief booty obtained by 
the sultan of Fezzan during his last expedition into Sou- 
dan. The troop had left Bornou without an adequate sup- 
ply of provisions, which failed entirely before they ap- 
proached Mourzouk. That want, or perhaps fatigue, was 
the real cause of this destruction was manifest from the 
fact that the sufferers were all negroes, while their Arab 
masters had taken care to reserve for themselves the means 
of reaching home. 

In this route the travellers had on one side the Tibboos, 
on the other the Tuaricks, two native tribes, probably of 
great antiquity, and having no alliance with the Arab race, 
now so widely spread over the continent. The Tibboos 
were on the left, and it was through their villages that the 
caravan passed. These people live partly on the milk of 
their camels, which pick up a scanty subsistence on the few 
verdant spots that rise amid the Desert, partly by carry- 
ing on a small trade between Mourzouk and Bornou, in 
which they are so busily employed that many do not spend 
M 



J 34 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON, 

at home more than four months in the year. They ara 
black, though without the negro features ; the men ugly, 
but the young females possessed of some beauty, not wholly 
obscured by the embellishments of coral stuck in the nose, 
and of oil streaming over the face. They are besides a 
gay, good-humoured, thoughtless race, with all the African 
passion for the song and the dance ; which last they prac- 
tise gracefully, and with movements somewhat analogous to 
the Grecian. This cheerfulness appears wonderful consi- 
dering the dreadful calamity with which they are threatened 
every day. Once a year, or oftener, an inroad is made by 
their fierce neighbours, the Tuaricks, who spare neither age 
nor sex, and sweep away all that comes within their reach. 
The cowardly Tibboos dare not even look them in the face ; 
they can only mount to the top of certain steep rocks with 
flat summits and perpendicular sides, near one of which 
every village is built. They carry up with them every 
thing that can be removed, and this rude defence avails 
against still ruder assailants. The savage Tuaricks, again, 
were observed by Clapperton and Oudney in a journey to 
the westward from Mourzouk, and were found in their pri- 
vate character to be frank, honest, and hospitable. The 
females are neither immured nor oppressed, as is usual 
among rude and Mohammedan tribes, but meet with notice 
and respect ; indeed, the domestic habits of this nation 
have much resemblance to the European. They are a com- 
pletely wandering race of shepherds and robbers, holding 
in contempt all who live in houses and cultivate the ground ; 
yet they are, perhaps, the only native Africans who have 
letters and an alphabet, which they inscribe, not on books 
and parchments indeed, but on the dark rocks that checker 
the surface of their territory ; and in places where they 
have long resided every stone is seen covered with their 
writings.* 

Bilma, the capital of the Tibboos, was found a mean town 
with walls of earth, but surrounded by numerous lakes 
containing the purest salt, the most valuable of all articles 
for the commerce of Soudan. The inhabitants, however, 
though deeply mortified, durst not prevent the powerful 
Tuaricks from lading their caravans with it, and under- 

* The group in the accompanying plate consists of a Tuarick on his 
camel, with a male and female Tibboo standing beside him. 




Tuarick on his Camel with Male and Female Tibboo.— [p. 134.] 



DL'NHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 135 

celling them in all the markets. About a mile beyond Bilma 
was a fine spring, spreading around, and forming a little 
circle of the richest verdure. This was the last vegetable 
life that the discoverers were to see during a long march 
of thirteen days. In these wilds, where the constant drift 
causes hills to rise or disappear in the course of a night, 
all traces of a road are soon obliterated, and the eye of the 
traveller is guided only by dark rocks which at certain in- 
tervals raise their heads amid the sterile waste. Sometimes 
the sard is formed into hills with perpendicular sides, from 
twenty to sixty feet high. These the camels are made to 
slide down ; in which operation they can only be kept steady 
by the driver hanging with all his weight on the tail, other- 
wise they would tumble forward, and throw the load over 
their heads. " Tremendously dreary are these marches ; 
as far as the eye can reach, billows of sand bound the pros- 
pect." Whenever the wind was high, volumes of this sub- 
stance darkened the air, through which it was sometimes 
impossible to attempt a passage. 

After a fortnight spent in the Desert, the expedition saw 
symptoms of a return to the region of life. There appeared 
scattered spots of thin herbage ; little valleys watered by 
springs were filled with the shrub called suag, on which 
grew delicate berries ; small herds of gazelles fed in these 
retreats ; even the droves of hyenas indicated the revival of 
animal nature. As the travellers advanced, the country im- 
proved ; at every mile the valleys became more gay and 
verdant ; and the creeping vines of the colocynth in full 
bloom, with the red flowers of the kossom, converted many 
of these spots into a little Arcadia. The freshness of the 
air, with the melody of the hundred songsters that were 
perched among the creeping plants, whose flowers diffused 
an aromatic odour, formed the most delightful contrast to 
the desolate region through which they had passed. Here 
again were found Tibboos, of the tribe called Gunda, a more 
alert and active people than the former ; the men still 
uglier, the girls still handsomer and more delicately 
formed. This sept have about 5000 camels, on whose milk 
alone they support themselves for half the year, and their 
horses for the whole year; the little crop of gussub and 
millet being too precious for these animals, which drink 
camels' milk, sweet or sour, and by this strange diet are* 



136 DENHAM AND CLAPFERTON. 

kept in the highest health and condition. The chief, Mina 
Tahr, or the Black Bird, waited upon the party, and was 
presented by Boo Khalloom with a coarse scarlet burnouse 
and a tawdry silk caftan : these paltry dresses, being the 
finest that had ever invested the person of this chieftain, 
threw him into ecstasies of delight, which he continued for 
hours to testify by joyful shouts and high leaps into the air. 
Major Denham' s watch singularly delighted him ; but solely, 
as soon appeared, from the pleasure of seeing his own per- 
son in the bright metallic case ; so that a very small mirror 
was deemed still more precious. 

In this approach to the territory of Soudan the English 
began to witness the exercise of mutual plunder between 
the caravan and the natives. Every animal which straggled 
from the main body was instantly carried off ; even a dog 
had been eaten up, and only the bones left. A herald, 
handsomely equipped, who had been sent forward to the 
sultan of Bornou, was found stripped, and tied naked to a 
tree. On the other hand, no sooner did the caravan come 
in view of any village than the inhabitants were descried on 
the plain beyond in full flight with all their effects. The 
Arabs pursued, in indignation only, as they pretended, at 
not being allowed to purchase what they wanted ; but the 
conduct of the poor natives was evidently the result of long 
experience ; and Major Denham saw executed on one party 
the most rapid process of plunder he ever witnessed. In a 
few seconds the camels were eased of their loads, and the poor 
women and girls stripped to the skin. Boo Khalloom, on this 
and other occasions, interposed, and insisted on restitution ; 
but whether he would equally have done so without the 
urgent remonstrances of the English appears to be doubtful. 

The expedition, now advancing rapidly, entered Kanem, 
the most northern province of Bornou, and soon arrived at 
Lari, a town of two thousand inhabitants, composed of 
clusters of rush-huts, conical at top, and looking like well- 
thatched corn-stacks. This place formed a remarkable 
stage in their progress ; for, from the rising ground in front 
of it was seen stretching out the boundless expanse of the 
great interior sea of Africa, the lake Tchad, " glowing with 
the golden rays of the sun." Major Denham, who saw 
here the key to his grand scheme of discovery, hastened 
down to the shores of this mighty water. These were 



DENHAM AN? CLAPPERTON. 



137 




138 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

darkened with the varied and beautiful plumage of ducks, 
geese, pelicans, and cranes four or five feet high, immense 
spoonbills of snowy whiteness, yellow-legged plovers, with 
numerous unknown waterfowl, sporting around, and quietly 
feeding at half pistol-shot. It is not to be wondered at, that 
Major Denham should have felt reluctant to invade the pro- 
found tranquillity of these feathered tribes, and betray the 
confidence with which they received him. At last, over- 
coming his scruples, he took up his gun, and soon filled a 
large basket. It was evident here, that remarkable changes 
in the bed of the Tchad had recently taken place ; for, 
though this was not the rainy season, long stalks of the 
grain called gussub were growing amid the waters on ground 
formerly dry. 

The caravan now marched along the shores of the lake, 
and arrived in two days at Woodie, a large town, the first 
which was found thoroughly negro. The inhabitants lived 
in sluggish plenty, on the produce of a fertile country, with- 
out any attempt to obtain either elegancies or luxuries. It 
was resolved that the caravan should pause here, till a mes- 
senger could be sent forward to obtain for them invitation, 
or permission, to present themselves before the sheik of 
Bornou. The political state of that country was at this 
time somewhat singular. Twenty years before it had been 
overrun and completely conquered, with the most dreadful 
devastation, by the Fellatas, a western people, to whose em- 
pire Bornou seemed to have been finally annexed. There 
still remained, however, a spirit in the people which spurned 
at a foreign yoke. The present sheik, a native of Kanem, 
of humble birth, but of superior talents and energy, rallied 
round him a band of bold spearmen, and, animating them by 
a pretended vision of the prophet, hoisted the green flag, 
and attacked the invaders. His success was such, that in 
ten months the Fellatas were completely driven out of Bor- 
nou, which they had never since re-entered, though desul- 
tory hostilities were still waged between the two nations. 
This leader, idolized by the army who had conquered under 
him, was now the real master of the country, yet the reve- 
rence of the nation for their ancient line of kings was too 
deep to allow the legitimate heir to be wholly superseded. 
He was drawn forth from obscurity, received the title of sul- 
tan, and was established in empty pomp at the city of 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 139 

Bimie ; while the successful soldier, under an humbler name, 
retained in his own hands all the real power of the kingdom. 
After five days an invitation arrived from the sheik to 
visit him at Kouka, for which city the travellers immediately 
departed. In their way they passed the Yeou, the first river 
of any description which had crossed their path in this long 
journey, exciting considerable interest from being for a mo- 
ment supposed to be the Niger flowing from Timbuctoo. 
The stream was fifty yards broad, and proceeded with some 
rapidity eastward into the Tchad : in the wet season its 
breadth became twice as great. On the bank, for the con- 
venience of passengers, lay two large canoes, rudely put to- 
gether, constructed of planks fastened by cords, and having 
the openings stuffed with straw. The men and goods were 
ferried over on these rafts, while the horses and camels, 
having their heads fastened to them, swam across. 

In approaching Kouka Major Denham experienced con- 
siderable emotion, in consequence of the contradictory re- 
ports which he heard respecting the array and aspect of 
this great central court of Africa. Some told him that the 
sheik was surrounded by a mere handful of half-armed, half- 
naked negroes, fit oniy for plunder ; while, according to 
others, he was at the head of a numerous cavalry, highly 
equipped and well-disciplined. The Major pressed eagerly 
forward before the main body, and, emerging from the 
forest, had his curiosity gratified by seeing a body of several 
thousand horse drawn up in line, and extending on each 
side as far as the eye could reach. He now awaited the 
coming up of the Arabs ; at sight of whom the Bornou 
troops, who had previously stood immoveable, raised a 
mighty shout or yell, which rent the air, followed by a sound 
equally loud of rude martial music. Then, forming de- 
tached parties, they galloped up full speed to the strangers, 
never pausing till they almost touched the horses' heads, 
when they suddenly wheeled round and returned, exclaim* 
ing, " Blessing ! blessing ! sons of your country ! sons of 
your country !" They had soon completely surrounded the 
party, and wedged them in so close, waving their spears 
over their heads, that it was impossible for the strangers to 
move. Boo Khalloom had nearly lost all patience at this 
vehement and incommodious welcome ; but at length Barca 
Gana, the commander-m-chief, made his appearance, re- 



140 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

stored order, and caused a way to be opened, by which t'.e 
caravan, though somewhat slowly, at length made its w^.y 
to the city. 

But, after their arrival at Kouka, symptoms of jealousy 
appeared, and only twelve of the principal persons, the Eng- 
lish included, were allowed to enter. They were led 
through a wide street, lined with spearmen, to the door of 
the sheik's residence. Here the principal courtiers came 
out in succession, and welcomed the party with cries of 
" Barca ! Barca !" but as no one invited them to go in, the 
wrath of Boo Khalloom, who held himself scarcely inferior 
to the sheik, was kindled, and he declared that, unless im- 
mediately admitted, he would return to his tent. A chief 
merely waved his hand as a signal for patience ; but at last 
Barca Gana appeared, and invited the Arab leader to enter 
alone. Another half-hour elapsed ere the gates were again 
opened, and the four Englishmen were called. They found, 
on the present as well as on other occasions, the etiquette 
of this barbarian court extremely rigid, and enforced too in 
a manner the most rough and unceremonious. They were 
allowed to walk only one by one, and, when thought to be 
going too fast, the guards grasped them by the leg so ab- 
ruptly that they could with difficulty avoid falling flat for- 
ward ; and when it was time to stop, instead of their being 
told so, spears were crossed before them, and the palm of 
the hand applied to their breast. At the close of all this 
ceremony, they found the sheik quietly seated on a carpet, 
plainly dressed, in a small dark room, ornamented solely with 
guns and pistols, which he had received in presents from 
crowned heads, and esteemed the most rare and precious of 
decorations. He appeared about forty or forty-five years of 
age, and his countenance was pleasing and expressive. He 
inquired their object in visiting Bornou ; when, being in- 
formed that they had come merely to see the country, and 
to give an aecount of its appearance, produce, and people, 
he engaged to forward their views, and even to gratify their 
wishes to the utmost of his power. Such motives, however, 
afterward proved entirely incomprehensible to his illiterate 
mind. 

Major Denham next day waited again on the sheik and 
delivered his presents. A double-barrelled gun and two pis- 
tols, with powder-flask, and shot-cases, were examined by the 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 141 

chief with the most minute attention ; the other gifts, con- 
sisting of fine cloths, spices, and porcelain, were no sooner 
produced than the slaves carried them off. The African 
was particularly gratified on being told that the king of Eng- 
land had heard of him, and said, turning to his captains, 
" This must be in consequence of our having defeated the 
Begharmis ;" upon which Bagah Furby, a grim old soldier, 
who had made a figure in that war, came forward and asked, 
" Did he ever hear of me ?" Major Denham scrupled not to 
answer " Certainly ;" when the whole party instantly called 
out, " Oh ! the king of England must be a great man." 

The Major, in the course of his residence at Kouka, had 
frequent opportunities of visiting the sheik. One day he 
received a message that he must come instantly and ex- 
hibit a musical box playing tunes by itself, which the other 
understood to be in his possession. This great warrior, 
who had never before shown any interest unless about grave 
concerns, was quite enchanted on hearing its performance, 
and raised shouts of delight and astonishment. He exa- 
mined minutely the different parts of the mechanism, de- 
claring he would willingly give a thousand dollars in ex- 
change for it. The Major, unable to misunderstand so 
broad a hint, presented the box to his highness. The dis- 
play of sky-rockets also caused the utmost amazement and 
joy, and was even employed to strike the enemies of the 
sheik with superstitious awe. Finding that our traveller 
could speak Arabic, and give much information not attain- 
able from any other quarter, Barca Gana became fond of 
his conversation, and invited him to pay frequent visits. 

It remained that Major Denham should be introduced to 
the sultan in his royal residence at Birnie, where all the 
state and pomp of the kingdom, with none of its real power, 
were concentrated. On the 2d March, the English ac- 
companied Boo Khalloom to that city, and, on their arrival 
there, the following morning was fixed for the interview. 
Fashion, even in the most refined European courts, does 
not always follow the absolute guidance of reason or taste, 
and her magic power is often displayed in converting de- 
formities into beauties ; but there is certainly no court of 
which the taste is so absurd, grotesque, or monstrous, as 
that to which Major Denham was now introduced. An 
enormous protruding belly and a huge misshapen head are 
the two features without which it is vain to aspire to the 



142 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

rank of a courtier or of a fine gentleman. This form, 
valued probably as a type of abundance and luxury,, is es- 
teemed so essential, that, where nature has not bestowed, 
and the most excessive feeding and cramming cannot 
produce it, wadding is employed, and a false belly pro- 
duced, which, in riding, appears to hang over the pummel 
of the saddle. Turbans also are wrapped round the head, 
in fold after fold, till it appears swelled on one side to the 
most unnatural dimensions, and only one-half of the face 
remains visible. The factitious bulk of the lords of Bornou 
is still farther augmented by drawing round them, even in 
this burning climate, ten or twelve successive robes ot 
cotton or silk, while the whole is covered over with num- 
berless charms enclosed in green leather cases. Yet under 
all these encumbrances they do sometimes mount and take 
the field ; but the idea of such unwieldy hogsheads being 
of any avail in the day of battle appeared altogether ridi- 
culous, — and it proved accordingly, that, on such high oc- 
casions, they merely exhibited themselves as ornaments, 
without making even a show of encountering the enemy. 

"With about 300 of this puissant chivalry before and 
around him, the sultan was himself seated near the garden- 
door in a sort of cane basket covered with silk, and his 
face entirely shaded beneath a turban of more than the usual 



DENHAM AND CLAPFERTON. 143 

magnitude. The presents were silently deposited ; nothing 
passed ; and the courtiers, tottering beneath the weight of 
their turbans and their bellies, could not display that punc- 
tilious activity which had been so annoying at the palace 
of the sheik. This was all that was ever seen of the 
sultan of Bornou. The party then set out for Kouka, 
passing, on their way, through Angornou, the largest city 
in the kingdom, containing at least 30,000 inhabitants. 

During his residence at Kouka and Angornou, Major 
Denham frequently attended the markets, where, besides 
the proper Bornouese, he saw the Shouaas, an Arab tribe, 
who are the chief breeders of cattle ; the Kanemboos from 
the north, with their hair neatly and tastefully plaited ; and 
the Musgow, a southern clan of the most savage aspect. 
A loose robe or shirt, of the cotton cloth of the country, 
often fine and beautifully died, was the universal dress ; 
and high rank was indicated by six or seven of these worn 
one above another. Ornament was studied chiefly in 
plaiting the hair, in attaching to it strings of brass or silver 
beads, in inserting large pieces of amber or coral into the 
nose, the ear, and the lip ; and when to these was added a face 
streaming with oil, the Bornouese belle was fully equipped 
for conquest. Thus adorned, the wife or daughter of a 
rich Shouaa might be seen entering the market in full 
style, bestriding an ox, which she managed dexterously by 
a leathern thong passed through the nose, and whose un- 
wieldly bulk she contrived even to torture into something 
like capering and curvetting. Angornou is the chief mar- 
ket, and the crowd there is sometimes immense, amounting 
often to eighty or a hundred thousand individuals. All the 
produce of the country is bought and sold in open market ; 
for shops and warehouses do not enter into the system of 
African traffic. There is displayed an abundance of their 
principal grain, called gussub, a good deahof wheat and rice, 
an ample store of bullocks, and no small number of sheep and 
fowls ; but not a vegetable except a few onions, nor a sin- 
gle fruit of any kind, — the Bornouese not having attained 
to the production of these elegant luxuries. The objects 
most prized and rare are pieces of amber, coral, and brass, 
to adorn the countenances of the females ; these are sold 
readily, and paid in money, while other articles are only 
exchanged for cloth. Among other rarities are sometime* 



144 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

offered young lions, to be kept as domestic favourites. The 
Major found one of them enclosed by a circle of spectators, 
and was invited to step up and stroke it on the mane. He 
was about to comply, though with sensations which he 
admits himself unable to describe, when the animal sud- 
denly brushed past him, broke through the circle, and 
rushed to another station. The sheik was afterward kind 
enough to send him a young lion as a pet, which the Major 
politely returned, expressing regret at not being able to 
find room for so fine a specimen of African zoology. 

Bornou, taken altogether, forms an extensive plain, 
stretching 200 miles along the western shore of the im- 
mense lake already mentioned, and nearly the same dis- 
tance inland. This sea periodically changes its bed in an 
extraordinary manner. During the rains, when its tri- 
butary rivers pour in thrice the usual quantity of water, it 
inundates an extensive tract of country, from which it re- 
tires in the dry season. This space, then overgrown with 
dense underwood, and with grass double the height of a 
man, contains a motley assemblage of wild beasts, — lions, 
panthers, hyenas, elephants, and serpents of extraordinary 
form and bulk. These monsters, while undisturbed in 
this mighty den, remain tranquil, or war only with each 
other ; but when the lake swells, and its waters rush in, 
they of necessity seek refuge among the abodes of men, to 
whom they prove the most dreadful scourge. .Not only the 
cattle, but the slaves tending the grain, often fall victims ; 
they even rush in large bodies into the towns. The rest 
of the country, placed beyond the reach of this annual in- 
undation, is in many places very fertile ; and cultivation is 
so limited that land may always be had in any quantity by 
him who has slaves to employ upon it. This service is 
performed by female captives from Musgow, who, aiding 
their native ugliness by the insertion of a large piece of 
silver into the upper-lip, which throws it entirely out of 
shape, are coveted in no other view than for the quantity 
of hard work which they can execute. The processes of 
agriculture are extremely simple. Their only fine manufac- 
ture is that of tobesy or vestments of cotton skilfully woven 
and beautifully died, but still not equal to those of Soudan. 
In every other handicraft they are very inexpert, — even in 
works of iron, which are of the greatest use to a martial people. 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 145 

The Bornouese have, however, an ingenious mode, re- 
presented in the accompanying plate, of fishing with a very 




simple apparatus. They take two large gourds, and fasten 
them at each end to a stem of bamboo. The fisherman 
seats himself upon this machine, floats with the current, 
and throws his net. On drawing it up, he lays it before 
him, stuns the fish with a species of mace, and piles them 
into the gourds. They are afterward dried, and conveyed 
over the country to a considerable distance. 

The Bornouese are complete negroes both in form and 
feature ; they are ugly, simple, and good-natured, but des- 
titute of all intellectual culture. Only a few of the great 
fights, or doctors, of whom the sheik was one, can read the 
Koran. A " great writer," indeed, is held in still higher 
estimation than with us ; but his compositions consist only 
of words written on scraps of paper, to be enclosed in cases, 
and worn as amulets. They are then supposed to defend 
their possessor against every danger, to act as charms to 
destroy his enemies, and to be the main instrument in the 
cure of all diseases. For this last purpose they are aided 
only by a few simple applications ; yet the Bornou practice 
is said to be very successful, either through the power of 
imagination, or owing to their excellent constitutions. In 



146 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTOST. 

the absence of all refined pleasures, various rude sports am 
pursued with eagerness, and almost with fury. The most 
favourite is wrestling, which the chiefs do not practise in 
person, but train their slaves to exhibit in it as our jockeys 
do game-cocks, taking the same pride in their prowess and 
victory. Nations are often pitched against each other, the 
Musgowy and the Begharmi being the most powerful. 
Many of them are extremely handsome and of gigantic 
size, and hence the contests between them are truly ter- 
rible. Their masters loudly cheer them on, offering 
high premiums for victory, and sometimes threatening in- 
stant death in case of defeat. They place their trust, not 
in science, but in main strength and rapid movements* 
Occasionally the wrestler, eluding his adversary's vigilance, 
seizes him by the thigh, lifts him up into the air, and dashes 
him against the ground. When the match is decided, the 
victor is greeted with loud plaudits by the spectators, some 
of whom even testify their admiration by throwing to him 
presents of fine cloth. He then kneels before his master, 
who not unfrequently bestows upon him a robe worth thirty 
or forty dollars, taken perhaps from his own person. Death 
or maiming, however, is no unfrequent result of these en- 
counters. The ladies, even of rank, engage in another 
very odd species of contest. Placing themselves back to 
back, they cause particular parts to strike together with the 
most violent collision, when she who maintains her equili- 
brium, while the other lies stretched on the ground, is pro- 
claimed victor with loud cheers. In this conflict the girdle 
of beads worn by the more opulent females very frequently 
bursts, when these ornaments are seen flying about in every 
direction. To these elegant recreations is added gaming, 
always the rage of uncultivated minds. Their favourite 
game is one rudely played with beans, by means of holes 
made in the sand. 

Boo Khalloom, having despatched his affairs in Bornou, 
wished to turn his journey to some farther account, and 
proposed an expedition into the more wealthy and commer- 
cial region of Houssa or Soudan ; but the eager wishes of 
his followers pointed to a different object. They called 
upon him to lead them into the mountains of Mandara in 
the south, to attack a village of the kerdies, or. unbelievers, 
and carry off the people as slaves to Fezzan. He long 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON, 147 

stood out against this nefarious proposal ; but the sheik, 
who also had his own views, took part against him ; even 
his own brother joined the malecontents, and at length there 
appeared no other mode in which he could return with 
equal credit and profit. Influenced by these inducements, 
he suffered his better judgment to be overpowered, and de- 
termined to conduct his troop upon this perilous and 
guilty excursion. Major Denham, allowing his zeal for 
discovery to overcome other considerations, contrived, not- 
withstanding the prohibition of the sheik, to be one of the 
party. They were accompanied by Barca Gana, the prin- 
cipal general, a negro of huge strength and great courage, 
along with other warriors, and a large body of Bornou 
cavalry. These last are a fine military body in point of ex- 
ternal appearance. Their persons are covered with iron 
plate and mail, and they manage, with surprising dexterity, 
their little active steeds, which are also supplied with de- 
fensive armour. They have one fault only, but that a se- 
rious one, — they cannot stand the shock of an enemy. 
While the contest continues doubtful, they hover round as 
spectators, ready, should the tide turn against them, to spur 
on their coursers to a rapid flight ; but if they see their 
friends victorious, and the enemy turning their backs, they 
come forward and display no small vigour in pursuit and 
plunder. 

The road that led to Mandara formed a continued ascent 
through a fertile country which contained some populous 
towns. The path being quite overgrown with thick and 
prickly underwood, twelve pioneers went forward with long 
poles, opening a track, pushing back the branches, and 
giving warning to beware of holes. These operations they 
accompanied with loud praises of Barca Gana, calling out, 
— " Who is in battle like the rolling of thunder 1 Barca 
Gana. In battle, who spreads terror around him like the 
buffalo in his rage 1 Barca Gana." Even the chiefs on this 
expedition carried no provisions except a paste of rice, flour, 
and honey, with which they contented themselves, unless 
when sheep could be procured ; in which case half the ani- 
mal, roasted over a frame-work of wood, was placed on the 
table, and the sharpest dagger present was employed in cut- 
ting it into large pieces, to be eaten without bread or salt. 
At length they approached Mora, the capital of Mandara, 



143 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTOH. 

This was another kingdom which the energy of :t3 present 
sultan had rescued from the yoke of the Fellata empire ; 
and the strong position of its capital, enclosed by lofty ridges 
of hills, had enabled it to defy repeated attacks. It consists 
of a fine plain, bordered on the south by an immense and 
almost interminable range of mountains. The eminences 
directly in front were not quite so lofty as the hills of Cum- 
berland, but bold, rocky, and precipitous, and distant sum- 
mits appeared towering much higher, and shooting up a line 
of sharp pinnacles resembling the needles of Mont Blanc. 
It was reported, that two months were required to cross 
their greatest breadth and reach the other side, where they 
rose ten times higher, and were called large' moon moun- 
tains. They there overlooked the plain of Adamowa, 
through which the Quolla (or Niger) was said to flow from 
the westward. The hills immediately in view were thickly 
clustered with villages perched on their sides and even on 
their tops, and were distinctly seen from the plain of Man- 
dara. They were occupied by half-savage tribes, whom the 
ferocious bigotry of the nations occupying the low country 
branded as pagans, and whom they claimed a right to plun- 
der, seize, and drive in crowds for sale to the markets of 
Fezzan and Bornou. " The fires, which were visible in the 
different nests of these unfortunate beings, threw a glare 
upon the bold rocks and blunt promontories of granite by 
which they were surrounded, and produced a picturesque 
and somewhat awful appearance." A baleful joy gleamed 
in the visage of the Arabs as they eyed these abodes of their 
future victims, whom they already fancied themselves 
driving in bands across the Desert. A kerdy village to 
plunder was all their cry, and Boo Khalloom doubted not 
that he would be able to gratify their wishes. Their com- 
mon fear of the Fellatas had united the sultan of Mandara 
in close alliance with the sheik, to whom he had lately mar- 
ried his daughter ; and the nuptials had been celebrated by 
a great slave-hunt among the mountains, when, after a 
dreadful struggle, three thousand captives, by their tears 
and bondage, furnished out the materials of a magnificent 
marriage-festiv al. 

The expedition obtained a reception quite as favourable 
as had been expected. In approaching the capital they 
were met by the sultan with 500 Mandara horse, who. 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 149 

charging full speed, wheeled round them with the same 
threatening movements which had been exhibited at Bor- 
nou. The horses were of a superior breed, most skilfully 
managed, and covered with cloths of various colours, as well 
as with skins of the leopard and tiger-cat. This cavalry 
made of course a very brilliant appearance ; but the Major 
did not yet know that their valour was exactly on a level 
with that of their Bornou allies. The party were then 
escorted to the capital, amid the music of long pipes like 
clarionets, and of two immense trumpets. They were in- 
troduced next day. The mode of approaching the royal re- 
sidence is to gallop up to the gate with a furious speed, which 
often causes fatal accidents ; and on this occasion a man was 
ridden down and killed on the spot. The sultan was found 
in a dark-blue tent, sitting on a mud-bench, surrounded by 
about two hundred attendants, handsomely arrayed in 
silk and cotton robes. He was an intelligent little man, 
about fifty years old, with a beard dyed sky-blue. Courteous 
salutations were exchanged ; during which he steadily eyed 
Major Denham, concerning whom he at last inquired ; and 
the traveller was advantageously introduced as belonging to 
a powerful distant nation, allies of the bashaw of Tripoli. 
At last, however, came the fatal question, — " Is he Moslem ] 
— La ! la ! — no ! no ! — What ! has the great bashaw C afire 
friends V — Every eye was instantly averted; the sun of 
Major Denham's favour was set ; and he was never more 
allowed to enter the palace. 

The bigotry of this court seems to have surpassed even 
the usual bitterness of the African tribes, and our traveller 
had to undergo a regular persecution, carried on especially 
by Malem Chadily, the leading fighi or doctor of the court. 
As Major Denham was showing to the admiring chiefs the 
mode of writing with a pencil, and effacing it with Indian 
rubber, Malem wrote some words of the Koran with such 
force that the rubber could not wholly remove the traces of 
them. He then exclaimed with triumph, " They are the 
words of God, delivered to his prophet ; I defy you to erase 
them." The Major was then called upon to acknowledge 
this great miracle ; and, as his countenance still expressed 
incredulity, he was viewed with looks of such mingled con- 
tempt and indignation as induced him to retire. Malem, 
however, again assailed him with the assurance that this 
N2 



150 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

Was only one of the many miracles which he could show 
as wrought by the Koran ; imploring him to turn, and para- 
dise would be his, otherwise nothing could save him from 
eternal fire. " Oh !" said he, " while sitting in the third 
heaven I shall see you in the midst of the flames, crying out 
to your friend Barca Gana and myself for a drop of water ; 
but the gulf will be between us :" his tears then flowed pro- 
fusely. The Major, taking the general aside, entreated to 
be relieved from this incessant persecution; but Gana 
assured him that the fighi was a great and holy man, to 
whom he ought to listen. He then held out not only para- 
dise, but honours, slaves, and wives of the first families, as 
gifts to be lavished on him by the sheik if he would renounce 
his unbelief. Major Denham asked the commander, what 
would be thought of himself if he should go to England and 
turn Christian 1 " God forbid !" exclaimed he ; " but how 
can you compare our faiths ; mine would lead you to para- 
dise, while yours would bring me to hell. Not a word 
more." — Nothing appears to have annoyed the stranger 
more than to be told that he was of the same faith with the 
kerdies or savages ; little distinction being made between 
any who denied the Koran. After a long discussion of this 
question, he thought the validity of his reasoning would be 
admitted, when he could point to a party of those wretches 
devouring a dead horse, and appealed to Boo Khalloom if 
he had ever seen the English do the same; but to this, 
which was not after all a very deep theological argument, 
the Arab replied, — " I know they eat the flesh of swine, 
and, God knows, that is worse."—" Grant me patience," 
exclaimed I to myself, — " this is almost too much to bear 
and to remain silent." 

The unfortunate kerdies, from the moment that they 
saw Arab tents in the valley of Mandara, knew the dread- 
ful calamity which awaited them. To avert it, and to pro- 
pitiate the sultan, numerous parties came down with pre- 
sents of honey, asses, and slaves. Finally appeared the 
Musgow, a more distant and savage race, mounted on 
small fiery steeds, covered only with the skin of a goat or 
leopard, and with necklaces made of the teeth of their ene- 
mies. They threw themselves at the feet of the sultan, 
casting sand on their heads, and uttering the most piteous 
cries. The monarch, apparently moved by these gifts and 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 151 

entreaties, began to intimate to Boo Khalloom his hopes 
that these savages might by gentle means be reclaimed and 
led to embrace, the true faith. These hopes were held by 
the latter in the utmost derision ; and he privately assured 
Major Denham that nothing would more annoy this devout 
Mussulman than to see tfrem fulfilled, whereby he must 
nave forfeited all right to drive these unhappy creatures in 
crowds to the markets of Soudan and Bornou. In fact, 
Doth the sultan and the sheik had a much deeper aim. Every 
effort was used to induce Boo Khalloom to engage in the 
attack of some strong Fellata posts, by w r hich the country 
was hemmed in ; and as the two monarchs viewed the 
Arabs with extreme jealousy, it was strongly suspected 
chat their defeat would not have been regarded as a public 
calamity. The royal councils w r ere secret and profound, 
and it was not known what influences worked upon Boo 
Khalloom. On this occasion unfortunately he was mas- 
tered by his evil genius, and consented to the proposed 
attack ; but as he came out and ordered his troops to pre- 
pare for marching, his countenance bore such marks of 
trouble that the Major asked if all went well 1 to which he 
hurriedly answered, " Please God." The Arabs, however, 
who at all events expected plunder, proceeded with alacrity. 
The expedition set out next morning, and, after passing 
through a beautiful plain, began to penetrate the mighty 
chain of mountains which form the southern border of the 
kingdom. Alpine heights, rising around them in rugged 
magnificence and gigantic grandeur, presented scenery 
w 7 hich our traveller had never seen surpassed. The passes 
of Hairey and of Horza, amid a superb amphitheatre of 
hills, closely shut in by overhanging cliffs, more than two 
thousand feet high, were truly striking. Here, for the first 
time in Africa, did nature appear to the English to revel in 
the production of vegetable life. The trees were covered 
with luxuriant and bright green foliage ; and their trunks 
were hidden by a crowd of parasitical plants, whose aro- 
matic blossoms perfumed the air. There was also an 
abundance of animal life of a less agreeable description ; 
three scorpions w r ere killed in the tent ; and a fierce but 
beautiful panther, more than eight feet long, just as he had 
gorged himself by sucking the blood of a newly-killed negro, 
w&s attacked and spearedL The sultan and Barca Gana 



152 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

were attended by a considerable body of Bornou and Man- 
dara cavalry, whose brilliant armour, martial aspect, and 
skilful horsemanship gave confidence to the European 
officer, who had not yet seen them put to the proof. 

It was the third day when the expedition came in view of 
the Fellata town of Dirkulla. The Arabs, supported by Barca 
Gana and about a hundred spearmen, marched instantly to 
the attack, and carried first that place, and then a smaller 
town beyond it, killing all who had not time to escape. 
The enemy, however, then intrenched themselves in a 
third and stronger position, called Musfeia, enclosed by 
high hills, and fortified in front by numerous swamps and 
palisades. This was likewise attacked, and all its defences 
forced. The guns of the Arabs spread terror, while Barca 
Gana threw eight spears with his own hand, every one of 
which took effect. It was thought, that had the two bodies 
of cavalry made even a show of advancing, the victory would 
have been at once decided ; but Major Denham was much 
surprised to see those puissant warriors keeping carefully 
under cover behind a hill on the opposite side of the stream, 
where not an arrow 7 could reach them. The Fellatas, see- 
ing that their antagonists were only a handful, rallied on 
the tops of the hills, were joined by new troops, and turned 
round. Their women behind, cheering them on, conti- 
nually supplied fresh arrows, and rolled down fragments of 
rock on the assailants. These arrows were fatal ; they 
were tipped with poison, and wherever they pierced the body 
in a few hours became black, blood gushed from every 
orifice, and the victim expired in agony. The condition of 
the Arabs soon became alarming ; scarcely a man was left 
unhurt, and their horses were dying under them. Boo 
Khalloom and his charger were both wounded with poi- 
soned arrows. As soon as the Fellatas saw the Arabs 
waver, they dashed in with their horse ; at sight of which 
all the heroic squadrons of Bornou and Mandara put spurs 
to their steeds, the sultan at their head, and the whole be- 
came one mass of confused and tumultuous flight. Major 
Denham saw too late the peril into which he had wantonly 
plunged. His horse, pierced to the shoulder-bone, could 
scarcely support his weight ; but the cries of the pursuing 
Fellatas still urged him forward. At last the animal fell 
twice, and the second time threw him against a tree, then, 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 153 

frightened by the noise behind, started up and ran off. 
The Fellatas were instantly up, when four of his compa- 
nions were stabbed beside him, uttering the most frightful 
cries. He himself was fully prepared for the same fate ; 
but happily his clothes formed a valuable booty, through 
which the savages were loath to run their spears. After in- 
flicting some slight wounds, therefore, they stripped him to 
the skin, and forthwith began to quarrel about the plunder. 
While they were thus busied, he contrived to slip away, 
and though hotly pursued, and nearly overtaken, succeeded 
in reaching a mountain-stream gliding at the bottom of a 
deep and precipitous ravine. Here he had snatched the 
young branches issuing from the stump of a large over- 
hanging tree, in order to let himself down into the water, 
when, beneath his hand, a large liffa, the most dangerous 
serpent in this country, rose from its coil, as in the very 
act of darting upon him. Struck with horror, Major Den- 
ham lost all recollection, and fell headlong into the water ; 
but the shock revived him, and, with three strokes of his arm, 
he reached the opposite bank, and felt himself for the mo- 
ment in safety. Running forward, he was delighted to see 
his friends Barca Gana and Boo Khalloom ; but amid the 
cheers with which they were endeavouring to rally their 
troops, and the cries of those who were falling under the 
Fellata spears, he could not for some time make himself 
heard. Then Maramy, a negro appointed by the sheik to 
attend on him, rode up and took him on his own horse. 
Boo Khalloom ordered a burnouse to be thrown over him, — 
very seasonably, for the burning sun had begun to blister 
his naked body. Suddenly, however, Maramy called out, 
" See, see ! Boo Khalloom is dead !" and that spirited 
chief, overpowered by the wound of a poisoned arrow, 
dropped from his horse, and spoke no more. The others 
now thought only of pressing their flight, and soon reached 
a stream, where they refreshed themselves by copious 
draughts, and a halt was made to collect the stragglers. 
Major Denham here fell into a swoon ; during which, as 
he afterward learned, Maramy complained that the jaded 
horse could scarcely carry the stranger forward, when Barca 
Gana said, — " By the head of the prophet ! believers enough 
have breathed their last to-day ; why should we concern 
urselves about a Christian's death V 9 Malem Chadily, 



1 54 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

however, so bitter as a theological opponent, showed now 
the influence of a milder spirit, and said, — " No, God has 
preserved him ; let us not abandon him ;" and Maramy 
declared, — " His heart told him what to do." They there- 
fore moved on slowly till about midnight, when they passed 
the Mandara frontier in a state of severe suffering ; but the 
Major met with much kindness from a dethroned prince, 
Mai Meegamy, who, seeing his wounds festering under the 
rough woollen cloak which formed his only covering, took 
off his own trousers and gave them to him. 

The Arabs had lost forty-five of their number, besides 
their chief ; the rest were in a miserable plight, most of 
them wounded, some mortally, and all having lost their 
camels and the rest of their property. Renouncing their 
pride, they were obliged to supplicate from Barca Gana a 
handful of corn to keep them from starving. The sultan 
of Mandara, in whose cause they had suffered, treated them 
with the utmost contumely, which perhaps they might de- 
serve, but certainly not from him. Deep sorrow was after- 
ward felt in Fezzan when they arrived in this deplorable 
condition and reported the fall of their chief, who was there 
almost idolized. A national song was composed on the 
occasion, which the following extract will show to be 
marked by great depth of feeling, and not altogether devoid 
of poetical beauty : — 

" Oh ! trust not to the gun and the sword ! The spear 
of the unbeliever prevails ! 

" Boo Khalloom, the good and the brave, has fallen ! Who 
shall now be safe 1 Even as the moon among the little 
stars, so was Boo Khalloom among men ! Where shall 
Fezzan now look for her protector ] Men hang their heads 
in sorrow, while women wring their hands, rending the air 
with their cries ! As a shepherd is to his flock, so was Boo 
Khalloom to Fezzan ! 

" Give him songs ! Give him music ! What words can 
equal his praise ] His heart was as large as the desert ! 
His coffers were like the rich overflowings from the udder 
of the she-camel, comforting and nourishing those around 
him ! 

" Even as the flowers without rain perish in the fields, so 
will the Fezzaners droop ; for Boo Khalloom jeturns no 
more ! 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 155 

" His body lies in the land of the heathen I The poi 
soned arrow of the unbeliever prevails ! 

" Oh ! trust not to the gun and the sword ! The spear 
of the heathen conquers ! Boo Khalloom, the good and 
the brave, has fallen ! Who shall now be safe i" 

The sheik of Bornou was considerably mortified by the 
result of this expedition, and the miserable figure made by 
his troops, though he sought to throw the chief blame on 
the Mandara part of the armament. He now invited the 
Major to accompany an expedition against the Mungas, a 
rebel tribe on his outer border, on which occasion he was 
to employ his native band of Kanemboo spearmen, who, he 
trusted, would redeem the military reputation of the mo- 
narchy. Major Denham was always ready to go wherever 
he had a chance of seeing the manners and scenery of Af- 
rica. The sheik took the field, attended by his armour- 
bearer, his drummer fantastically dressed in a straw hat 
with ostrich feathers, and followed by three wives, whose 
heads and persons were wrapped up in brown silk robes, 
and each led by a eunuch. He was preceded by five green 
and red flags, on each of which were extracts from the 
Koran, written in letters of gold. Etiquette even required 
that the sultan should follow with his unwieldy pomp, 
Having a harem, and attendance much more numerous ; 
while frumfrums, or wooden trumpets, were continually 
sounded before him. This monarch is too dignified to fight 
in person; but his guards, the swollen and overloaded 
figures formerly described, enveloped in multiplied folds, 
and groaning beneath the weight of ponderous amulets, 
produced themselves as warriors, though manifestly unfit to 
face any real danger. 

The route lay along the banks of the river Yeou, called 
also Gambarou, through a country naturally fertile and 
delightful, but presenting a dismal picture of the deso- 
lation occasioned by African warfare. The expedition 
passed through upwards of thirty towns, completely de- 
stroyed by the Fellatas in their last inroad, and of which 
all the inhabitants were either killed or carried into slavery. 
These fine plains were now overgrown with forests and 
thickets, in which grew tamarind and other trees, producing 
delicate fruits ; while large bands of monkeys, called by 
Arabs " enchanted men," filled the woods with their cries. 



156 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTOK. 

Here, too, was found Old Birnie, the ancient but now deso- 
late capital, evidently much larger than any of the present 
cities, covering five or six miles with its ruins. They passed 
also Gambarou, formerly the favourite residence of the 
sultans, where the remains of a palace and of two mosques 
gave an idea of civilization superior to any thing that had 
yet been seen in Interior Africa. There were left in this 
country only small detached villages, the inhabitants of 
which remained fixed to them by local attachment, in spite 
of constant predatory inroads by the Tuaricks, who carried 
off their friends, their children, and cattle. They have 
recourse to one mode of defence, which consists in digging 
a number of blaquas, or large pits : these they cover with a 
false surface of sods and grass, into which the Tuarick, 
with his horse, plunges before he is aware, and is received 
at the bottom upon sharp-pointed stakes, which often kill 
the one and the other on the spot. Unluckily, harmless tra- 
vellers are equally liable to fall into these living graves. 
Major Denham was petrified with horror to find how near 
he had approached to several of them ; indeed, one of his 
servants fell in, and was saved only by an almost miracu- 
lous spring. It seems wonderful that the sheik should not 
have endeavoured to restore some kind of security to this 
portion of his subjects, and to repeople those fine but de- 
serted regions. 

The troops, which had been seen hastening in parties to 
the scene of action, were mustered at Kabshary, a town 
which the Mungas had nearly destroyed. The sheik made 
a review of his favourite forces, the Kanemboo spearmen, 
9000 strong. They were really a very savage and military- 
looking host, perfectly naked, except a girdle of goatskin, 
with the hair hanging down, and a piece of cloth wrapped 
round the head. They carried large wooden shields, shaped 
like a Gothic window, with which they warded off the ar- 
rows of the enemy, while they pressed forward to attack 
with their spears. Unlike almost all other barbarous armies, 
they kept a regular night-watch, passing the cry every half- 
hour along the line, and at any alarm raising a united yell, 
which was truly frightful. At the review they passed in 
tribes before the sheik, to whom they showed the most en- 
thusiastic attachment, kneeling on the ground and kissing 
his feet. The Mungas, again, were described as terrible 




Bornou Horseman, Kanemboo Spearman, and Mungo Bowman.— [p. 157.] 



# 

DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 157 

antagonists, hardened by conflict with the Tuaricks, fighting 
on foot with poisoned arrows longer and more deadly than 
those of the Fellatas.* The sultan, however, contemplated 
other means of securing success, placing his main reliance 
on his powers as a Mohammedan doctor and writer. Three 
successive nights were spent in inscribing upon little scraps 
of paper figures or words, destined to exercise a magical 
influence upon the rebel host ; and their effect was height- 
ened by the display of sky-rockets, supplied by Major Den- 
ham. Tidings of his being thus employed were conveyed 
to the camp, when the Mungas, stout and fierce warriors 
who never shrunk from an enemy, yielded to the power of 
superstition, and felt all their strength withered. It seemed 
to them that their arrows were blunted, their quivers broken, 
their hearts struck with sickness and fear; in short, that to 
oppose a sheik of the Koran who could accomplish such 
wonders was alike vain and impious. They came in by 
hundreds, bowing themselves to the ground, and casting 
sand on their heads in token of the most abject submission. 
At length, Malem Fanamy himself, the leader of the rebel- 
lion, saw that resistance was hopeless. After vain over- 
tures of conditional submission, he appeared in person, 
mounted on a white horse, with a thousand followers. He 
was himself in rags, and, having fallen prostrate on the 
ground, was about to pour sand on his head, when the sul- 
tan, instead of permitting this humiliation, caused eight 
robes of fine cotton cloth, one after another, to be thrown 
over him, and his head to be wrapped in Egyptian turbans 
till it was swelled to six times its natural size, and no longer 
resembled any thing human. By such signal honours the 
sheik gained the hearts of those whom his pen had subdued ; 
and this wise policy enabled him, not only to overcome the 
resistance of this formidable tribe, but to convert them into 
supporters and bulwarks of his power. 

Major Denham, who always sought with laudable zeal to 
penetrate into every corner of Africa, now found his way 
in another direction. He had heard much of the Shary, a 
great river flowing into the lake Tchad, and on whose banks 
the kingdom of Loggun was situated. After several delays, 

* The group in the accompanying plate shows the three noted mili- 
tary characters,— the Bornou horseman, the Kanemboo spearman, and 
the Munga bowman. 

o 



158 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON* 

be set out on the 23d January, 1824, in company with Mr, 
Toole, a spirited young volunteer, who, journeying by way 
of Tripoli and Mourzouk, had thence crossed the Desert to 
join him. The travellers passed through Angornou and 
Angala, and arrived at Showy, where they saw the river, 
which really proved to be a magnificent stream, fully half a 
mile broad, and flowing at the rate of two or three miles an 
hour. They descended it through a succession of noble 
reaches, bordered with fine woods, and a profusion of vari- 
ously-tinted and aromatic plants. At length it opened into 
the wide expanse of the Tchad ; after viewing which, they 
again ascended and reached the capital of Loggun, beneath 
whose high walls the river was seen flowing in majestic 
beauty. Major Denham entered, and found a handsome 
city, with a street as wide as Pall- Mall, and bordered by 
large dwellings, having spacious areas in front. He was 
led through several dark rooms into a wide and crowded 
court, at one end of which a lattice opened, and showed a 
pile of silk robes stretched on a carpet, amid which two 
eyes became gradually visible : this was the sultan. On 
his appearance there arose a tumult of horns and frum- 
frums ; while all the attendants threw themselves prostrate, 
casting sand on their heads. In a voice which the court- 
fashion of Loggun required to be scarcely audible, the mo- 
narch inquired Major Denham's object in coming to this 
country, observing that if it was to purchase handsome female 
slaves, he need go no farther, since he himself had hun- 
dreds who could be afforded at a very easy rate. This 
overture was rejected on other grounds than the price ; yet, 
notwithstanding so decided a proof of barbarism, the Log- 
gunese were found a people more advanced in the arts of 
peace than any hitherto seen in Africa. By a studied neu- 
trality, they had avoided involving themselves in the dread- 
ful wars which had desolated the neighbouring countries. 
Manufacturing industry was honoured, and the cloths 
woven here were superior to those of Bornou, being finely 
died with indigo and beautifully glazed. There was even 
a current coin made of iron, somewhat in the form of a 
horse-shoe ; and rude as this was, none of their neighbours 
possessed any thing similar. The ladies were handsome, 
intelligent, and of a lively air and carriage ; but, besides 
pushing their frankness to excess, their general demeanour 






DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON 159 

was by no means scrupulous. They used, in particular, 
the utmost diligence in stealing from Major Denham's per- 
son every thing that could be reached, even searching the 
pockets of his trousers ; and, when detected, only laughing, 
and calling to each other how sharp he had shown himself. 
But the darkest feature of savage life was disclosed, when 
the sultan and his son each sent to solicit poison "that 
would not lie," to be used against the other. The latter 
even accompanied the request with a bribe of three lovely 
black damsels, and laughed at the horror which was ex- 
pressed at the proposal. 

The Loggunese live in a rich country, abounding in grain 
and cattle, and diversified with forests of lofty acacias and 
many beautiful shrubs. Its chief scourge consists in the 
millions of tormenting insects which fill the atmosphere, 
making it scarcely possible to go into the open air at mid- 
day without being thrown into a fever ; indeed, children 
have been known to be killed by their stings. The natives 
have a mode of building one house within another to pro- 
tect themselves against this scourge ; while some kindle a 
large fire of wet straw and sit in the smoke : but this re- 
medy, if it be possible, seems worfje than the evil which it is 
meant to obviate. 

Major Denham was much distressed on this journey by 
the death of his companion Mr. Toole ; and he could no 
longer delay his return when he learned that the Beghar- 
mis, with a large army, were crossing the Shary to attack 
Bomou. Soon after his arrival at Kouka the sheik led out 
his troops, which he mustered on the plain of Angala, and 
was there furiously attacked by 5000 Begharmis, led by 200 
chiefs. The Begharmi cavalry are individually strong and 
fierce, and both riders and horses still more thoroughly cased 
in mail than those of Bornou ; but their courage, when 
brought to the proof, is nearly on a level. The sheik en- 
countered them with his Kanemboo spearmen and a small 
band of musketeers, when, after a sharp conflict, the whole 
of this mighty host was thrown into the most disorderly 
flight ; even the Bornou cavalry joined in the pursuit. 
Seven sons of the sultan and almost all the chiefs fell ; 
two hundred of their favourite wives were taken, many of 
whom were of exquisite beauty, 

Mr. Tyrwhit, a gentleman whom his majesty's govern* 



160 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

ment had sent out to strengthen the party, arrived on the 
20th May, and on the 22d, delivered to the sheik a number 
of presents, which were received with the highest satisfac- 
tion. In company with this gentleman, Major Denham, 
eager to explore Africa still further, took advantage of an- 
other expedition undertaken against the tribe of Shouaa 
Arabs, distinguished by the name of La Sala, — a race of 
amphibious shepherds who inhabit certain islands that ex- 
tend along the south-eastern shores of the Tchad. These 
spots afford rich pasture ; while the water is so shallow, 
that, by knowing the channels, the natives can ride without 
difficulty from one island to the other. Barca Gana led a 
thousand men on this expedition, and was joined by 400 of 
a Shouaa tribe, called Dugganahs, enemies to the La Salas. 
These allies presented human nature under a more pleasing 
aspect than it had yet been seen in any part of Central 
Africa. They despise the negro nations, and all who live in 
houses, and still more in cities ; while they themselves re- 
side in tents made of skin, collected into circular camps, 
which they move periodically from place to place. They 
live in simple plenty on the produce of their flocks and 
herds, celebrate their joys and sorrows in extemporary 
poetry, and seem to be united by the strongest ties of domes- 
tic affection. Tahr, their chief, having closely examined 
our traveller as to the motives of his journey, said, "And 
have you been three years from your home 1 Are not your 
eyes dimmed with straining to the north, where all your 
thoughts must ever be 1 If my eyes do not see the wife 
and children of my heart for ten days, they are flowing with 
tears when they should be closed in sleep." On taking 
leave, Tahr's parting wish was, " May you die at your own 
tents, and in the arms of your wife and family." This chief, 
it is said, might have sat for the picture of a patriarch : his 
fine, serious, expressive countenance, large features, and long 
bushy beard afforded a favourable specimen of the general 
aspect of his tribe. « 

The united forces now marched to the shores of the 
lake, and began to reconnoitre the islands on which the 
Shouaas with their cattle and cavalry were stationed ; but 
the experienced eye of Barca Gana soon discerned that the 
channel, though shallow, was full of holes, and had a 
muddy, deceitful appearance. He proposed, therefore, to 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 161 

delay the attack till a resolute band of Kanemboo spearmen 
should arrive and lead the way. The lowing, however, of 
the numerous herds, and the bleating of the flocks on the 
green islands which lay before them, excited in the troops 
a degree of hunger as well as of military ardour that was 
quite irrepressible. They called out, " What ! be so near 
them and not eat them 1 No, no, let us on ; this night these 
flocks and women shall be ours !" Barca Gana suffered 
himself to be hurried away, and plunged in among the fore- 
most. Soon, however, the troops began to sink into the 
holes or stick in the mud ; their guns and powder were 
wetted, and became useless ; while the enemy, who knew 
every step, and could ride through the water as quickly as 
on land, at once charged the invaders in front, and sent 
round a detachment to take them in the rear. The assault 
was accordingly soon changed into a disgraceful flight, in 
which those who had been the most loud in urging to this 
rash onset set the example. Barca Gana, who had boasted 
himself invulnerable, was deeply wounded through his coat- 
of-mail and four cotton tobcs, and was with difficulty rescued 
by his chiefs out of the hands of five La Sala horsemen 
who had vowed his death. The army returned to their 
quarters in disappointment and dismay, and with a severe 
loss. During the whole night the Dugganah women were 
heard bewailing their husbands who had fallen, in dirges 
composed for the occasion, and with plaintive notes, which 
could not be listened to without the deepest sympathy. 
Major Denham was deterred by this disaster from making 
any farther attempt to penetrate to the eastern shores of 
the Tchad. 

The Biddoomahs are another tribe who inhabit extensive 
and ragged islands in the interior of the lake, amid its deep 
waters, which they navigate with nearly a thousand large 
boats. They neither cultivate the ground nor rear flocks 
or herds, while their manners appeared to our traveller the 
rudest and most savage even of Africans, those of the Mus- 
gow always excepted. They are said to have adopted as a 
religious creed, that God, having withheld from them corn 
and cattle, which the nations around enjoy, has given in 
Jheir stead strength and courage, to be employed in taking 
these good things from all in whose possession they may 
be found. To this belief they act up in the most devout 
02 



162 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

manner, spreading terror and desolation over all the shores 
of this inland sea ; no part of which, even in the imme- 
diate vicinity of the great capitals, is 'for a moment secure 
from their ravages. The most powerful and warlike of the 
Bornou sovereigns, finding among their subjects neither 
the requisite skill nor experience in navigation, do not 
attempt to cope with the Biddoomahs on their watery do- 
mains ; and thus gave up the lake to their undisputed 
sway. 

While Major Denham was thus traversing, in every di- 
rection, Bornou and the surrounding countries, Mr. Clap- 
perton and Dr. Oudney were proceeding through Houssa, 
by a route less varied and hazardous indeed, but disclosing 
forms both of nature and of society fully as interesting. 
They departed from Kouka on the 14th December, 1823, 
and, after passing the site of Old Birnie, they found the 
banks of the Yeou fertile, and diversified with towns and 
villages. On entering Katagum, the most easterly Fellata 
province, they observed a superior style of culture ; two 
crops of wheat being raised in one season by irrigation, and 
the grain stored in covered sheds elevated from the ground 
on posts. The country to the south was covered with ex- 
tensive swamps and mountains, tenanted by rude and Pagan 
races, who furnish to the faithful an inexhaustible supply 
of slaves. The practice of travelling with a caravan was 
found very advantageous, from the mutual help afforded, as 
well as from the good reports spread by the merchants re- 
specting their European companions. In Bornou these last 
had been viewed with almost unmingled horror ; and, for 
having eaten their .bread under the extremest necessity, a 
man had his testimony rejected in a court of justice. Some 
young Bornouese ladies, who accosted Major Denham, 
having ventured to say a word in his favour, an attendant 
matron exclaimed, — " Be silent ; he is an uncircumcised 
Caffre, — neither washes nor prays, eats pork, and will go 
to hell ;" upon which the others screamed out and ran off. 
But in Houssa this horror was not so extreme, and was min- 
gled with the belief that they possessed surprising and su- 
pernatural powers. Not only did the sick come in crowds 
expecting the cure of every disease, but the ladies solicited 
amulets to restore their beauty, to preserve the affections 
©f their lovers, and even to destroy a hated rival. The son 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 163 

of the governor of Kano, having called upon Mr. Clapperton, 
stated it as the conviction of the whole city and his own, 
that the English had the power of converting men into asses, 
goats, and monkeys, and likewise that by reading in his 
book he could at any time commute a handful of earth into 
gold. The traveller, having argued with him upon the dif- 
ficulty he often found in procuring both asses and gold, in- 
duced him, with trembling hands, to taste a cup of tea ; 
when he became more composed, and made a sort of recanta- 
tion of his errors. 

As the caravan proceeded they met many other travel- 
lers, and found sitting along the road numerous females, 
selling potatoes, beans, bits of roasted meat, and water 
with an infusion of gussub grains ; and when they stopped 
at any place for the night, the people crowded in such 
numbers as to form a little fair. Mr. Clapperton attracted 
the notice of many of the Fellata ladies, who, after examin- 
ing him closely, declared, that had he only been less white, 
his external appearance might have merited approbation. 

The travellers passed through Sansan, a great market- 
place divided into three distinct towns, and Katagum, the 
strongly-fortified capital of the province, containing about 
8000 inhabitants. Thence they proceeded to Murmur, 
where the severe illness under which Dr. Oudney had long 
laboured came to a crisis. Though now in the last stage 
of consumption, he insisted on continuing his journey, and 
with the aid of his servant had been supported to his camel, 
when Mr. Clapperton, seeing the ghastliness of death on 
his countenance, insisted on replacing him in his tent ; 
where soon after, without a groan, he breathed his last. 
His companion caused him to be buried with the honours 
•of the country. The body was washed, wrapped in tur- 
ban-shawls, and a wall of clay built round the grave to pro- 
tect it from wild beasts ; two sheep also were killed and dis- 
tributed among the poor. 

Proceeding onwards, the traveller came to Katungwa, the 
jirst town of Houssa Proper, in a country well enclosed 
;and under high cultivation. To the south was an exten- 
sive range of rocky hills, amid which was the town of 
.'Zangeia, with its buildings picturesquely scattered over 
masses of rock. He passed also Girkwa, near a river of 
l;he same name, which appears to come from these hills* 
«nd to fall into the Yeou. 



164 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

Two days after, he entered Kano, the Ghana of Edrisi, 
and which is now, as it was six hundred years ago, the 
chief commercial city of Houssa and of all Central Africa. 
Yet it disappointed our traveller on his first entry, and for 
a quarter of a mile scarcely appeared a city at all. Even in 
its more crowded quarters the houses rose generally in 
clusters, only separated by large stagnant pools. The in- 
habited part, on the whole, did not appear to comprise more 
than a fourth of the space enclosed by the walls, while the 
rest consisted of fields, gardens, and swamps ; however, as 
the whole circuit is fifteen miles, there is space for a popu- 
lation moderately estimated to be between 30,000 and 
40,000. Its market, the greatest scene of commercial 
transactions in Africa, is held on a neck of land between 
two swamps, by which, during the rains, it is entirely over- 
flowed ; but in the dry season it is covered with sheds, or 
stalls of bamboo, arranged into regular streets. Different 
quarters are allotted for the several kinds of goods ; some 
for cattle, others for vegetables ; while fruits of various de- 
scriptions, so much neglected in Bornou, are here displayed 
in profusion. The fine cotton fabrics of the country are 
sold either in webs, or in what are called tobes and turka- 
dees t with rich silken stripes or borders ready to be added. 
Among the favourite articles are goora or kolla nuts, which 
are called African coffee, being supposed to give a peculiar 
relish to the water drunk after them ; and crude antimony, 
with whose black tint every eyebrow in Houssa must be 
died. The Arabs also dispose here of sundry commodities 
that have become obsolete in the north ; the cast-off dresses 
of the Mamelukes and other great men, and old sword- 
blades from Malta. But the busiest scene is the slave- 
market, composed of two long ranges of sheds, one for 
males and another for females. These poor creatures are 
seated in rows, decked out for exhibition ; the buyer scru- 
tinizes them as nicely as a purchaser with us does a horse, 
inspecting the tongue,. teeth, eyes, and limbs, making them 
cough and perform various movements, to ascertain if there 
be any thing unsound ; and in case of a blemish appearing, 
or even without assigning a reason, he may return them 
within three days. As soon as the slaves are sold, the ex- 
poser gets back their finery, to be employed in ornamenting 
others. Most of the captives purchased at Kano are con- 
veyed across the Desert during which their masters endea* 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 165 

vour to keep up their spirits by an assurance that, on pass- 
ing its boundary, they will be set free and dressed in red, 
which they account the gayest of colours. Supplies, how- 
ever, often fail in this dreary journey, — a want felt first by 
the slaves, many of whom perish with hunger and fatigue. 
Mr. Clapperton heard the doleful tale of a mother who had 
seen her child dashed to the ground, while she herself was 
compelled by the lash to drag on an exhausted frame. Yet 
when at all tolerably treated, they are very gay, — an obser- 
vation generally made in regard to slaves ; but this gayety, 
arising only from the absence of thought, probably conceals 
much secret wretchedness. 

The regulations of the market of Kano seem to be good, 
and strictly observed. There is a sheik who regulates the 
police, and is said even to fix the prices, — which is going 
too far. The dylalas, or brokers, are men of somewhat 
high character ; packages of goods are often sold unopened, 
and bearing merely their mark. If the purchaser afterward 
finds any defect, he returns it to the agent, who must grant 
compensation. The medium of exchange is not cloth as in 
Bornou, nor iron as in Loggun, but cowries, or little shells 
Drought from the coast, twenty of which are worth a half- 
penny, and 480 make a shilling ; so that, in paying a 
pound sterling, one has to count over 9600 cowries. Our 
countryman admires this currency, as excluding all at- 
tempts at forgery; but really we should think its use very 
tedious and inconvenient. Amid so many strangers there 
is ample room for the trade of the restaurateur, which is oc- 
cupied by a female seated on the ground, with a mat on her 
knees, on which are spread vegetables, gussub-water, and 
bits of roasted meat about the size of a penny ; these she 
retails to her customers squatted around her. The killing 
of a bullock forms a sort of festival at Kano ; its horns are 
died red with henna, drums are beat, and a crowd collected, 
who, if they approve of the appearance and condition of 
the animal, readily become purchasers. 

Boxing in Houssa, like wrestling in Bornou, forms a fa- 
vourite exercise, and the grand national spectacle. Mr. 
rClapperton, having heard much of the fancy of Kano, inti- 
mated his willingness to pay for a performance, which was 
forthwith arranged. The whole body of butchers attended, 
and acted as masters of the ceremonies ; while, as soon as 



166 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

the tidings spread, girls left their pitchers at the wells, the 
market people threw down their baskets, and an immense 
crowd was assembled. The ring being formed, and drums 
beat, the performers first came forward singly, plying their 
muscles like a musician tuning his instrument, and each 
calling out to the bystanders, — " I am a hyena ; I am a lion ; 
I can kill all that oppose me." After about twenty had 
shown off in this manner, they came forward in pairs, wear- 
ing only a leathern girdle, and with their hands muffled up 
in numerous folds of country cloth. It was first ascertained 
that they were not mutual friends ; after which, they closed 
with the utmost fury, aiming their blows at the most mortal 
parts, as the pit of the stomach, beneath the ribs, or under 
the ear : they even endeavoured to scoop out the eyes ; so 
that, in spite of every precaution, the match often termi- 
nated in the death of one of the combatants. Whenever 
Mr. Clapperton saw the affair verging to such an issue, he 
gave orders to stop ; and, after seeing six pairs exhibit, 
paid the hire and broke up the meeting. 

From Kano he set out under the guidance of Mohammed 
Jollie, leader of an extensive caravan intended for Sackatoo, 
capital of the sultan of the Fellatas. The country was 
perhaps the finest in Africa, being under high cultivation, 
diversified with groves of noble trees, and traversed in a pic- 
turesque manner by ridges of granite. The manners of 
the people, too, were pleasing and pastoral. At many clear 
springs gushing from the rocks young women were drawing 
water. As an excuse for engaging in talk, our traveller 
asked several times for the means of quenching his thirst. 
ii Bending gracefully on one knee, and displaying at the 
same time teeth of pearly whiteness, and eyes of the blackest 
lustre, they presented a gourd, and appeared highly de- 
lighted when I thanked them for their civility, remarking to 
one another, * Did you hear the white man thank me V " 
But the scene was changed when the traveller reached the 
borders of the provinces of Goober and Zamfra, which 
were in a state of rebellion against Sackatoo. The utmost 
alarm at that moment prevailed; men and women, with 
their bullocks, asses, and camels, all struggled to be fore~ 
most, every one crying out, " Wo to the wretch that falls 
behind ! he will be sure to meet an unhappy end at the 
hands of the Gooberites." There was danger even of being 



0ENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 167 

thrown down and trampled to death by the bullocks, which 
were furiously rushing backward and forward ; however* 
through the unremitting care of the escort, Clapperton 
made his way safely, though not without much fatigue and 
annoyance, along this perilous frontier. 

On the 16th March, 1824, after passing through the hilly 
district of Kamoon, the valleys began to open, and crowds 
of people were seen thronging to market with wood, onions, 
indigo, and other commodities. This indicated the ap- 
proach to Sackatoo, which they soon saw from the top of a 
Kill, and entered about noon. A multitude nocked to see 
the white stranger, and received him with cheers of wel- 
come. The sultan was not yet returned from a ghrazzie or 
slave-hunt ; but the gadado, or minister, performed hand- 
somely the honours of the place. Next day the chief 
arrived, and instantly sent for Clapperton. The palace, as 
usual in Africa, consisted of a sort of enclosed town, with 
an open quadrangle in front. The stranger, on entering 
the gate, was conducted through three huts serving as 
guard-houses, after which he found Sultan Bello seated on 
a small carpet in a sort of painted and ornamented cottage 
Bello had a noble and commanding figure, with a high forehead 
and large black eyes. He gave the traveller a hearty wel- 
come, and, after inquiring the particulars of his journey, 
proceeded to serious affairs. He produced books belonging 
to Major Denham, which had been taken in the disastrous 
battle of Dirkullah ; and, though he expressed a feeling of 
dissatisfaction at the Major's presence on that occasion, 
readily accepted an apology, and restored the volumes. He 
only asked to have the subject of each explained, and to 
hear the sound of the language, which he declared to be 
beautiful. He then began to press his visiter with theolo- 
gical questions, and showed himself not wholly unacquainted 
with the controversies which have agitated the Christian 
world ; indeed he soon went beyond the depth of his visiter, 
who was obliged to own that he was not versant in the 
abstruser mysteries of divinity. 

The sultan now opened a frequent and familiar commu- 
nication with the English envoy, in which he showed him- 
self possessed of a good deal of information. The astrono- 
mical instruments, from which, as from implements of magic, 



168 DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 

many of his attendants started with horror, were examined 
by the monarch with an intelligent eye. ' On being shown 
the planisphere, he proved his knowledge of the planets* 
and even of many of the constellations, by repeating their Ara- 
bic names. The telescope, which presented objects inverted 
—the compass, by which he could always turn to the east 
in praying — and the sextant, which he called " the looking- 
glass of the sun," excited peculiar interest. Being desirous 
to see an observation performed with the latter instru- 
ment, Clapperton, who had lost the key of the artificial 
horizon, asked a dagger to break it open ; upon which the 
sultan started, and half-drew his sword, trembling like an 
aspen leaf. The other very prudently took no notice of this 
excitement, but quietly opened his box, when the exhibi- 
tion soon dispelled all unfavourable impressions. The sul- 
tan, however, inquired with evident jealousy into some 
points of English history that had come to his knowledge ; 
as, the conquest of India, which the traveller endeavoured 
to represent as a mere arrangement to protect the natives, 
and particularly the Moslem population. The attack on 
Algiers, being also alluded to, was justly declared to have 
been made solely on account of her atrocious piracies. 

Sackatoo appeared to Mr. Clapperton the most populous 
city he had seen in the interior of Africa. The houses stand 
more closely together than in most other towns of Houssa, 
and are laid out in regularly well-built streets. It is sur- 
rounded by a wall between twenty and thirty feet high, 
with twelve gates, which are punctually shut at sunset. 
The dwellings of the principal inhabitants consist of clusters 
of cottages and flat-roofed houses, in the Moorish style, en- 
closed by high walls. There are two mosques, one of which, 
then in progress of building, was 800 feet long, adorned 
with numerous pillars of wood plastered with clay, and 
highly ornamented. 

Mr. Clapperton, desirous to accomplish what had all 
along been his main object, solicited a guide to the western 
countries and the Gulf of Benin. By this route he might 
investigate the course of the Niger and the fate of Park ; he 
might also pave the way for a commercial intercourse, which 
would be of some benefit to Britain, and of great advantage 
to Africa. The sultan at first gave assurances of permis- 
sion and aid in travelling through every part of his domi- 



DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON. 1 69 

mons ; but when our countryman specified Nyffe on the 
banks of the Niger, Youri where the papers of Park were 
reported to be kept, Rakah and Fundah, where that river 
was said to fall into the sea, the courtiers began to demur. 
Professing tender solicitude for his safety, they represented 
that the season was becoming unfavourable, and that rebel- 
lion and civil war were raging to such a pitch in these 
countries as to make even the mighty protection of Sultan 
Bello insufficient for his security. Clapperton strongly sus- 
pected that this unfavourable change was produced by the 
machinations of the Arabs, and particularly of Mohammed 
Gomsoo, their chief, notwithstanding the warm professions 
of friendship made that personage. They apprehended, 
probably, that were a communication opened with the 
western coast, Interior Africa might be supplied with Eu- 
ropean goods by that shorter route, instead of being brought 
by themselves across the Desert. Perhaps these suspicions 
were groundless ; for the state of the country was afterward 
found to be, if possible, worse than had been described, and 
the ravages of the Fellatas so terrible, that any one coming 
from among them was likely to experience a very disagree- 
able reception. Indeed, it may be suspected that the sultan 
must have been a good deal embarrassed by the simplicity 
with which his guest listened to his pompous boasting as to 
the extent of his empire, and by the earnestness with which 
he entreated him to name one of his seaports where the 
English might land, when it is certain that he had not a town 
which was not some hundred miles distant from the coast. 
To prevent the disclosure of this fact, which must have 
taken place had our traveller proceeded in that direction, 
might be an additional motive for refusing his sanction. 
In short, it was finally announced to Clapperton, that no 
escort could be found to accompany him on so rash an en- 
terprise, and that he could return to England only by retrac- 
ing his steps. 

Here the traveller obtained an account of Mr. Park's 
death, very closely corresponding with the statement given 
by Amadi Fatouma. The Niger, it appears, called here the 
Quorra, after passing Timbuctoo, turns to the south, and 
continues to flow in that direction till it crosses the parallel 
of Sackatoo, at only a few days' journey to the westward ; 
but whether it reaches the sea, or, making an immense cir~ 
P 



170 clapperton's second journey. 

cuit, becomes the Shary, and pours itself into the immense 
basin of the Tchad, are points on which his informants va- 
ried greatly. 

Returning by a different route, Mr. Clapperton visited 
Zirmie, the capital of Zamfra, a kind of outlawed city, the 
inhabitants of which are esteemed the greatest rogues in 
Houssa, and where all runaway slaves find protection. He 
passed also through Kashna or Cassina, the metropolis of a 
kingdom which, till the late rise of the Fellata power, hail 
ruled over all Africa from Bornou to the Niger. In its 
present subject and fallen state, the inhabited part does not 
cover a tenth of the wide circuit enclosed by its walls ; yet 
a considerable trade is still carried on with the Tuaricks, or 
with caravans coming across the Desert by the route of 
Ghadamis and Tuat. Here our traveller met with much 
kindness from Hadgi Ahmet, a powerful and wealthy Arab 
chief, who even took him into his seraglio, and desired him, 
out of fifty black damsels, to make his choice, — a complai- 
sance, nothing resembling which had ever before been shown 
by a Mussulman. But our countryman, being indisposed, 
only picked out an ancient maiden to serve as a nurse. 

Mr. Clapperton rejoined Major Denham at Kouka, 
whence they set out, and recrossed the Desert together in 
the latter part of the year 1824. They reached Tripoli in 
January, 1825, and soon after embarked for Leghorn ; but 
being detained by contrary winds and quarantine regula 
tions, did not reach London till the month of June. 



CHAPTER Xin. 

Clapperton's Second Journey-~-Laing — Caillie, 

It has appeared, that in spite of some occasional symp- 
toms of jealousy, and even of alarm, the sultan of the Fel- 
latas had manifested a very considerable inclination to cul- 
tivate intercourse with the English. He was even under- 
stood to have promised that messengers should be kept in 
waiting at Rakah and Fundah, or at some port on the coast, 



clapperton's second journey. 171 

to conduct a new mission to Sackatoo. These promises, it 
is extremely probable, were mere inferences drawn from the 
empty boasts of the sultan ; he being master neither of Ra- 
kah nor Fundah, nor of any place within a great distance 
of the Gulf of Benin. Be this as it may, there seemed 
good ground to expect a welcome for the British envoys 
when they should reach his capital ; and in that direction, 
it was conjectured, were to be found the termination of the 
Niger, and also the most direct channel of trade with re- 
gions already ascertained to be the finest in Africa. 

These were views to which the enterprising statesmen 
who conducted the naval government at home were never 
insensible. They equipped afresh Mr. Clapperton, now 
promoted to the rank of captain, and sent him to the Gulf 
of Benin ; naming as his associates, Captain Pearce, an ex- 
cellent draftsman, and Mr. Morrison, a naval surgeon of 
some experience, whose skill, it was hoped, might be of 
great avail in preserving the health of the whole expedition. 

The mission, in the end of 1825, reached its destination ; 
but, as might perhaps have been anticipated, they could 
hear nothing of Rakah or of Fundah, of any messengers 
sent by Bello, nor of any town that was subject to him on 
this coast. They were not, however, discouraged ; and 
having consulted Mr. Houtson, whom a long residence had 
made thoroughly acquainted with the country, they were 
advised not to attempt ascending the banks of the river, — a 
circuitous track, and covered with pestilential swamps, — but 
to take the route from Badagry as the most direct and com- 
modious, and by which, in fact, almost all the caravans from 
Houssa come down to the coast. 

On the 7th December, 1825, the mission set out from 
Badagry on this grand journey into Interior Africa. But at 
the very first they were guilty of a fatal imprudence. During 
the nights of the 7th and 9th they slept in the open air, and 
on the last occasion in the public market-place of Dagmoo, 
without even their beds, which had been sent away by mis- 
take. The consequence was, that in a day or two Morrison 
and Pearce were attacked with a dangerous fever, and Clap- 
perton with fits of ague. It does not appear why they did 
not stop in one of the towns, and endeavour by rest to re- 
cruit their strength ; on the contrary, they pushed on till 
the 22d, when Captain Clapperton, seeing the illness of his 



172 clapperton's second journey. 

companions increase, urged them either to remain behind 
or return to Badagry. They insisted on proceeding ; but 
next day Dr. Morrison could struggle no longer, and de- 
parted for the coast : he died before reaching it. Captain 
Pearce persevered to the last, and sunk on the road, breath- 
ing his last at nine in the evening of the 27th. Clapperton 
was thus left to pursue his long and adventurous journey in 
very painful and desolate circumstances. He had only a 
faithful servant, Richard Lander, who stood by him in all 
his fortunes, with Pascoe, a not very trusty African, whom 
he had hired at Badagry. 

After a journey of sixty miles, the travellers entered the 
kingdom of Yarriba, called also from its capital Eyeo. This 
country had long been reported on the coast as the most 
populous, powerful, and flourishing of all Western Africa, 
holding even Dahomey in vassalage. It answered the most 
favourable descriptions given of it ; the fields were exten- 
sively cleared, and covered with thriving plantations of In- 
dian corn, millet, yams, and cotton. A loom nearly similar 
to that used in England was busily plied ; the women were 
spinning and dyeing the cloths with their fine indigo. These 
African dames were also seen going from town to town 
bearing large burdens on their heads, — an employment 
shared by the numerous wives of the king of Eyeo ; their 
majesties having nothing to distinguish them from the hum- 
blest of their fellow-countrywomen. Amid these laudable 
occupations, they exercised their powers of speech with 
such incessant perseverance as to confirm the Captain in 
what appears to have been with, him an old maxim, that no 
power on earth, not even African despotism, can silence a 
woman's tongue ; yet, as this loquacity seems to have been 
always exerted in kindness, he need not, we think, have 
groaned quite so heavily under its stunning influence. 

The English travellers were agreeably surprised by the 
reception which they experienced during this journey. In 
Houssa they had laboured under the most dire proscription 
as CafTres, enemies of the prophet, and foredoomed to hell ; 
and, as black is there the standard of beauty, their colour 
was considered by the ladies a deep leprous deformity, de- 
tracting from every quality that might otherwise have been 
agreeable in their persons. With the negro and pagan 
Eyeos there was no religious enmity ; and having under- 



clapperton's second journey. 173 

stood, by reports from the coast, the superiority of Euro- 
peans in arts and wealth, this people viewed them almost as 
beings of a superior order, to see whom they felt an eager 
and friendly curiosity. A rumour had also spread that they 
came to do good, and to make peace wherever there was 
war. On entering any town they were soon encircled by 
thousands, all desirous to see white men, and testifying re- 
spect, — the males by taking off their caps, the women by 
bending on their knees and one elbow. In some places 
singing and dancing were kept up through the whole night 
in celebration of their arrival. 

The mission had now to cross a range of hills about eighty 
miles broad, reported to reach the whole way from behind 
Ashantee to Benin. The highest pinnacle was not supposed 
to exceed 2500 feet, w T hich is a good deal lower than Skid- 
daw ; but its passes were peculiarly narrow and rugged, 
hemmed in by gigantic blocks of granite 600 or 700 feet 
high, sometimes fearfully overhanging the road. The valley 
varied in breadth from 100 yards to half a mile ; but every 
level spot, extending along the foot of these mountains, or 
even suspended amid their cliffs, was covered with fine crops 
of yams, millet, and cotton. A large population thus filled 
these alpine recesses, all animated with the most friendly 
spirit. Parties met the travellers on the road, or were sta- 
tioned on the rocks and heights above, which echoed with 
choral songs and sounds of welcome. After ascending hill 
over hill they came to Chaki, a large and populous town, 
situated on the very summit of the ridge. Here the cabo- 
ceer had a house and a large stock of provisions ready for 
them : he put many questions, and earnestly pleaded for a 
stay of two or three days. 

After descending to the plain, and passing through a num- 
ber of other towns, the party came to Tshow, where a ca 
boceer arrived from the king of Yarriba, with a numerous 
train of attendants both on foot and horseback. This chief, 
having shaken hands with them, immediately rubbed his 
whole body, that the blessing of their touch might be spread 
all over him. His people kept up through the night a con- 
stant hubbub, — singing, drumming, dancing, and firing ; 
and, claiming free quarters, they devoured such a quantity 
of provisions that the party fared worse than in any other 
place. Next morning they set out with a crowded escort 
P2 



174 clapperton's second JOURNEY. 

of bowmen on foot, and of horsemen ill mounted but active, 
dressed in the most grotesque manner, and covered with 
charms. On reaching the brow of a hill, the great capital 
of Eyeo opened to the view, on the opposite side of a vast 
plain bordered by a ridge of granite hills, and surrounded 
by a brilliant belt of verdure. On reaching the gate they 
entered the house of a caboceer, till notice was sent to the 
king, who immediately invited them to his palace. They 
had five miles to march through this spacious capital, du- 
ring which the multitude collected was so immense, and 
raised such a cloud of dust, that they must have stopped 
short, had not their escort, by a gentle but steady application 
of the whip and the cane, opened a way, and finally cleared 
a space in front of the throne. The king was sitting under 
a veranda, dressed in two long cotton tobes, and ornamented 
with three strings of glass beads, and a pasteboard crown 
covered with blue cotton, which had been procured from the 
coast. The mission, instead of the usual prostration, merely 
took off their hats, bowed, and presented their hands, which 
the king lifted up three times, calling out " Ako ! ako !" 
(How do you do 1) His wives behind, drawn up in a dense 
body, which the travellers vainly attempted to number, 
raised loud cheers, and smiled in the most gracious man- 
ner. After an interview of half an hour, the chief eunuch 
showed the party to handsome and commodious lodgings, 
where a good dinner was prepared. In the evening they 
were surprised by a visit from his majesty in plain patri- 
archal style, with a long staff in his hand, saying that he 
could not sleep without again inquiring after them. 

Eyeo, or Katunga, capital of the kingdom of Yarriba, is 
fifteen miles in circumference, and supplied by seven large 
markets ; but there are many open fields and spaces in this 
wide circuit, and hence the number of inhabitants could not 
even be conjectured. The population of the country must 
be very great, the whole being under cultivation, and the 
towns large and numerous. The government, in theory, is 
most despotic. The greatest chiefs, when they approach 
the sovereign, throw themselves prostrate on the ground, 
lie flat on their faces, and heap sand or dust Upon their 
heads ; and the same degrading homage is paid to the 
nobles by their inferiors. Yet the administration seems 
mild and paternal ; no instances of wanton cruelty were 



clapperton's second journey. 175 

observed ; and the flourishing state of the people showed 
clearly the absence of all severe oppression. The horrid 
and bloody customs, which produce such dark scenes in 
Ashantee and Dahomey, were mentioned here with detesta- 
tion. At the death of the king only, a few of his principal 
ministers and favourite wives take poison, presented to them 
in parrots' e^gs, that they may accompany and serve him 
in the invisible world. The first question asked by every 
caboceer and great man was, How many wives the king of 
England had ] being prepared, it should seem, to measure 
his greatness by that standard ; but when told that he had 
only one, they gave themselves up to a long and ungovernable 
fit of laughter, followed by expressions of pity and wonder 
how he could possibly exist in that destitute condition. 
The king of Yarriba's boast was, that his wives, linked hand 
in hand, would reach entirely across the kingdom. Queens, 
however, in Africa are applied to various uses, of which Eu- 
ropeans have little idea. They were seen forming a large 
band of body-guards ; and their majesties were observed in 
every part of the kingdom acting as porters, and bearing on 
their heads enormous burdens ; so that whether they should 
be called queens or slaves seems scarcely doubtful. 

The Eyeos, like other nations purely negro, are wholly 
unacquainted with letters or any form of writing ; these 
are known only to the Arabs or Fellatas, who penetrate 
thither in small numbers ; yet they have a great deal of ex- 
temporary poetry. Every great man has bands of singers 
of both sexes, who constantly attend him, and loudly cele- 
brate his achievements in poems of their own composition. 
The convivial meetings of the people, even their labours and 
journeys, are cheered by songs composed for the occasion, 
and sung often with considerable taste. Their houses are 
mere clay-built cottages, yet studiously adorned with carv- 
ing ; the door-posts and every piece of furniture are co- 
vered with well-executed representations of warlike proces 
sions, and of the movements of huge serpents seizing their 
prey. They have also public performances, which do not 
indeed deserve the name of dramatic, as they consist of mere 
mimicry and buffoonery. The first act of apiece witnessed 
by the strangers exhibited men dancing in sacks, who per 
formed their part to admiration. One of the bags opened, 
and there came forth the boa constrictor, fourteen feet long 



176 clapperton's second journey. 

covered with cotton cloth, imitating the colour and stripes 
of the original. Though rather full in the body, it pre- 
sented very nearly the form, and imitated well the actions, 
of that huge animal. The mouth was opened wide, pro- 
bably by two hands, to devour a warrior armed with a sword, 
who had come forth to contend with this formidable crea- 
ture, and who struck it with repeated blows, till it writhed 
in agony, and finally expired. Lastly, out of another sack 
came the white devil, a meager, shivering figure, and so 
painted as to represent an European. It took snuff, rubbed 
its hands, and attempted, in the most awkward manner, to 
walk on its naked feet. The audience, amid shouts of laugh- 
ter, called the particular attention of the Captain to this per- 
formance ; which being really good, he deemed it advisable 
to join in the mirth. 

As soon as our traveller was fixed at Eyeo, he began to 
negotiate in regard to the means of advancing into Houssa, 
anxious to pass through that country and reach Bornou be- 
fore the rains should set in. The king had professed a de- 
termination to serve him in every shape ; but this proved to 
be the very thing in which he was least inclined to fulfil his 
promise. All African princes seek to make a monopoly of 
the strangers who enter their territory. It was hinted, that 
one journey was well and fully employed in seeing the king- 
dom of Yarriba and visiting its great monarch. Captain 
Clapperton, having pleaded the positive command of his 
sovereign, was then informed that the direct route through 
JNyffe was much disturbed by civil war, the inroad of the 
Fellatas, and the insurrection of a great body of Houssa 
slaves, — reports suspected at the time to have been got up 
merely to detain the travellers, but afterward found to 
be correct. The king absolutely refused permission to pro- 
ceed to Rakah, though situated on the Niger at the distance 
of only three days' journey ; but he undertook to convey 
them to Houssa by a safer though somewhat circuitous 
route, through the kingdom of Borgoo. 

After passing through a number of smaller places, the 
mission arrived at Kiama, capital of a district of the same 
name, and containing 30,000 inhabitants. Kiama, Wawa, 
Niki, and Boussa are provinces composing the kingdom ol 
Borgoo, all subject in a certain sense to the sovereign of 
Boussa ; but the different cities plunder and make war op 



clapperton's second journey. 177 

each other, without the slightest regard to the supreme au- 
thority. The people of Kiama and of Borgoo in general 
have the reputation of being the greatest thieves and rob- 
bers in all Africa, — a character which nothing in their actual 
conduct appeared to confirm. Clapperton was well received 
at Kiama ; and the king soon visited him with the most sin- 
gular train ever seen by an European. Six young girls, 
without any apparel except a fillet on the forehead, and a 
string of beads round the waist, carrying each three light 
spears, ran by the side of his horse, keeping pace with it at 
full gallop. " Their light form, the vivacity of their eyes, 
and the ease with which they appeared to fly over the ground, 
made them appear something more than mortal." On the 
king's entrance the young ladies laid down their spears, 
wrapped themselves in blue mantles, and attended on his 
majesty. On his taking leave, they discarded their attire ; 
he mounted his horse, " and away went the most extraordi- 
nary cavalcade I ever saw in my life." Our traveller was 
visited by the principal queen, who had lost her youth and 
charms ; but a good deal of flirtation passed between him 
and the eldest daughter, who, however, being twenty-five, 
was considered in Africa as already on the wane. Yarro, 
the king, was extremely accommodating, and no difficulty 
was found in proceeding onward to Wawa. 

Wawa is a large city, containing 18,000 inhabitants, en- 
riched by the constant passage of the Houssa caravans. 
The people spend the wealth thus acquired in dissolute 
pleasure, and have been denounced by our traveller the most 
complete set of roaring topers he had ever known. The fes- 
tivities were usually prolonged till near morning, and the town 
resounded through the whole night with the song, the 
dance, the castanet, and the Arab guitar. The Wawa ladies 
paid a very particular and rather troublesome attention to 
the English party. The Captain complains of being pes- 
tered by the governor's daughter, who came several times 
a-day, always half-tipsy, painted and bedizened in the high- 
est style of African finery, to make love to him ; and on meet- 
ing only with cold excuses, she departed usually in a flood 
of tears. But the most persevering suit was that of Zuma, 
an Arab widow, possessor of a thousand slaves, and the se- 
cond personage in Wawa. Being turned of twenty, she 
was considered here as past her bloom, and a too ample 



178 clapperton's second journey. 

indulgence in the luxuries which her wealth afforded had en- 
larged her dimensions till they could be justly likened to 
those of a huge water-cask ; yet she had still some beauty, 
and, being only of a deep-brown complexion, considered 
herself white, and was in the most eager search after a 
white husband. In this pursuit she cast her eyes first upon 
the servant, to whom our traveller hesitates not to assign 
the palm of good looks in preference to himself; and he 
gave Lander full permission to follow his fortune. But that 
sage person, unmoved by all her charms and possessions, 
repelled the overture in so decided a manner, that the widow 
soon saw there was nothing to be made of him. She then 
withdrew her artillery from Lander, and directed it entirely 
against his master, the Captain, to whom she laid very close 
siege. At length, in a frolic, he agreed to visit her. He 
found her surrounded by every circumstance of African 
pomp, seated cross-legged on a piece of Turkey carpet, with 
an English pewter mug for her goora-pot, and dressed in a 
rich striped silk and cotton robe of country manufacture. 
Her eyebrows were dyed black, her hair blue, her hands and 
feet red ; necklaces and girdles of beads, coral, and gold 
profusely adorned her person. She made a display of ad- 
ditional finery lodged in her repositories, leading him 
through a series of apartments, one of which was orna- 
mented with a number of pewter dishes and bright brass 
pans. After these preliminaries, she at once declared her 
wish to accompany him on his journey, and proposed to 
send forthwith for a malem, or holy man, to read the fatha, 
by which their fates would be indissolubly united. Clap- 
perton, who seems to have been completely stunned by this 
proposal, stammered out the best apology he could, and has- 
tened away. His conduct, however, does not appear to 
have been so decisive as to deter the lady from the most en- 
ergetic perseverance in her suit. She even obtained his 
permission for his servant Pascoe to accept a wife from 
among her slaves ; but he was not aware that, according 
to African ideas, she had thus acquired a sort of claim to 
himself. 

Regardless of all these tender solicitations, our traveller 
had no sooner completed his arrangements than he set out 
for the Niger, leaving directions for his baggage to join 
him at the ferry of Comie, while he went round by way of 



clapperton's second journey. 179 

Boussa. We shall follow him at present to the former place, 
where he did not find any of his baggage, but learned that 
the widow, having placed it under arrest, had left Wawa 
with drums beating and a numerous train ; and besides, 
that she claimed a full right to his person, because his ser- 
vant Pascoe had accepted a wife at her hand. It was whis- 
pered, moreover, that she was meditating to supplant the 
governor, — a scheme which, aided by the personal bravery 
of the strangers, she might probably realize, — and afterward 
she meant to invite the Captain to ascend the throne of 
Wawa. " It would have been a fine end to my journey in- 
deed," says he, " if I had deposed old Mohammed, and set 
up for myself, with a walking tunbutt for a queen." Scarcely 
had he received this account when a present from the widow 
intimated her arrival in a neighbouring village. Our au- 
thor, however, insensible to all the brilliant hopes thus 
opened, set off full speed for Wawa to recover his baggage. 
On his arrival, the governor refused to liberate it till Zuma's 
return,— Clapperton in vain protesting that his movements 
and hers had no sort of connexion. However, next day, 
the sound of drums was heard, and the widow made her 
entree in full pomp, astride on a very line horse, with hous- 
ings of scarlet cloth, trimmed with lace. The large cir- 
cumference of her own person was invested in a red silk 
mantle, red trowsers, and morocco boots ; and numerous 
spells, sewed variously in coloured leather, were hung all 
round her. She was followed by a train of armed attend- 
ants, and preceded by a drummer decked in ostrich feathers. 
On the whole, the scene was so splendid, that our hero's re- 
solution seems for a moment to have wavered. However, 
his part was soon taken. Pascoe was directed to return 
his wife, and thus extinguish all claim that could be founded 
upon her ; and having received his baggage, our country- 
man set forward without even admitting the fond widow to 
any farther conference. 

On his way to Comie, Clapperton had visited Boussa, 
a place chiefly interesting as the scene where the career of 
Park terminated in a manner so tragical. Every thing 
tended to confirm the report of Amadi Fatouma, and to 
dispel the skepticism with which it had been originally re- 
garded. The king, however, and all the citizens, spoke of 
the event with deep grief and reluctance, and disavowed all 



180 clapperton's second journey. 

personal concern in the transaction. One man gave as the 
reason of the attack on the discoverers, that the English 
had been mistaken for the advanced guard of the Fellatas, 
who were then ravaging Soudan. It was added, that a 
number of natives died in consequence, as was imagined, 
of eating the meat found in the boats, which was supposed 
to be human flesh. That the English have no abode but 
on the sea, and that they eat the flesh of the negroes whom 
they purchase, are, it seems, two ideas most widely pre- 
valent over Africa. Even the king of Boussa could scarcely 
be brought to believe that they had a spot of land to dwell 
upon. The Captain and his party were received, however, 
with the same kindness and cordiality which they had ex- 
perienced ever since they entered the country. Seven boats 
were here waiting for them, sent by the sultan of Youri, 
with a letter, in which he earnestly solicited a visit, and 
promised, on that condition, and on that only, to deliver up 
the books and papers of Park. It is deeply to be regretted 
that our traveller could not reconcile it with his plans to go 
to Youri at this time, proposing to visit it on his return, 
which, it is well known, never took place. 

On crossing the Niger, Captain Clapperton entered 
NyfTe, a country which had been always reported to him as 
the finest, most industrious, and most flourishing in Africa , 
but he found it, as indeed he had been forewarned by the 
king of Yarriba, a prey to the most desolating civil war. 
The succession being disputed between two princes, one o^ 
them called in the Fellatas, and, by giving up his country 
to their ravages, obtained the privilege of reigning over its 
ruins. Our traveller, in his journey to the sansan or camp, 
saw only wasted towns, plantations choked with weeds, and 
a few remnants of a miserable population. This African 
camp consisted of a number of huts like bee-hives, arranged 
in streets, with men weaving, women spinning, markets at 
every green tree, holy men counting their beads, and disso- 
lute slaves drinking ; so that, but for the number of horses 
and armed men, and the drums beating, it might have been 
mistaken for a populous village. 

Amid this desolation, two towns, Koolfu and Kufu, being 
walled and situated on the high road of the Houssa cara- 
vans, had protected themselves in some measure from tht» 
common calamity, and were still flourishing seats of trad* . 



clapperton's second journey. 181 

All the merchants halted for some time at Koolfu, and those 
from Bomou seldom went farther. The market was 
crowded with the same articles as that of Kano. The 
Moslem religion was the most prevalent ; but it had not 
yet moulded society into the usual gloomy monotony ; nor 
had it succeeded in secluding or subjecting the female sex, 
Who, on the contrary, were the most active agents in every 
mercantile transaction. Our traveller knew twenty-one 
female brokers living at the same time in one house, who 
went about Continually from market to market. Many had 
amassed considerable wealth, and were persons of great 
consequence, — quite in their own rights Elated with this 
distinction, they claimed considerable latitude as to their 
deportment, and spent whole nights with the men in sing- 
ing and drinking, — a species of indulgence very prevalent 
in all these entrepots of African trade. The English, how- 
ever, experienced here none of the bigoted enmity which 
they had encountered in other Moslem cities. On the con- 
trary, they were the objects of much kindness ; the prin- 
cipal people of the place sent presents, and the lower ranks 
sought to obtain a sight of them by mounting the trees 
which overlooked their residence. The Koran does not 
seem to have much embarrassed the Koolfuans. Their 
only mode of studying it was, to have the characters written 
with a black substance on a piece of board, then to wash 
them off, and drink the water ; and when asked by our tra- 
veller what spiritual benefit could be derived from the mere 
swallowing of dirty water, they indignantly retorted, — 
" What ! do you call the name of God dirty water ?" This 
mode of imbibing sacred truth is indeed extensively pur- 
sued throughout the interior of the African continent. 

Captain Clapperton passed next through Kotongkora 
and Guari, two states which, united in a league with Cubbi 
and Youri, had shaken off the yoke of the Fellatas. Guari, 
strongly situated among hills, could bring a thousand horse 
into the field. He then entered Zeg-zeg, a Fellata country, 
which, especially around Zaria, its capital, seems to be one 
of the very finest in all Africa. It was beautifully varie- 
gated with hill and dale, like the finest parts of England, 
Was covered with plentiful crops and rich pastures, and pro- 
duced the finest rice grown in airy part of that continent. 
Rows of tall trees, reeembiing gigantic avenues of poplar, 



182 CLAPPERTON"S SECOND JOURNEY. 

extended from hill to hill. Zaria, like many other African 
cities, might be considered as a district of country sur- 
rounded with walls. When the Captain entered, he saw 
for some time only fields of grain, with the tops of houses 
rising behind them ; still such was its extent, that its popu- 
lation was said to exceed that of Kano, and to amount to 
at least 50,000. 

Setting out from Zaria, he soon reached his old quarters 
at Kano ; but he unfortunately found that great city in a 
state of dreadful agitation. There was war on every side ; 
hostilities had been declared between the king of Pornou 
and the Fellatas ; the provinces of Zamfra and Goobur 
were in open insurrection ; the Tuaricks threatened an 
inroad ; in short, there was not a quarter to which the mer- 
chants durst send a caravan. Kano being nearly midway 
between Bornou and Sackatoo, Clapperton left his baggage 
\here to be conveyed to the former on his return, and set 
out for the capital of Bello, bearing only the presents des- 
tined for that prince. On his way he found numerous 
bands mustering to form an army destined to attack Coonia, 
the rebel metropolis of Goobur. The appearance of these 
troops was very striking as they passed along the borders 
of some beautiful little lakes formed by the river Zirmie. 
These waters were bordered by forests of flowering acacias, 
with dark-green leaves, the shadows of which were re- 
flected on the smooth surface of the lake like sheets of bur- 
nished gold and silver. " The smoking fires, the sounding 
of horns, the beating of their gongs or drums, the braying 
of their brass and tin trumpets, every where the calls on the 
names of Mohammed, Abda, Mustapha, with the neighing 
of horses and the braying of asses, gave animation to the 
beautiful scenery of the lake, and its sloping green and 
woody banks." 

At length the army mustered to the number of 50,000 or 
60,000, chiefly on foot; a rude feudal host, arranging 
themselves according to their provinces and chiefs, without 
any military order. In a short time, they formed a dense 
circle around the walls of Coonia. Captain Clapperton ex- 
pected to see some brilliant exploit performed by the united 
force of this great army, commanded by the sultan and Ga- 
dado in person. The whole, however, both horse and foot, 
kept carefully out of the reach of the arrows, which, with a 



CLAPPERTON "S SECOND JOURNEY. 183 

sure and steady aim, the enemy directed against them. 
From time to time indeed a doughty warrior, well covered 
with armour, rode up, calling, " Shields to the wall ! Why 
don't you come on?" hut he instantly and quickly rode 
back, amid the derisive shouts of his countrymen. The 
only parties who exposed themselves to real danger were a 
few chiefs, in quilted annour, ornamented with gaudy robes 
and ostrich plumes, and of such weight that two men were 
required to lift them on horseback : several of them were 
brought down by the fire of one well-directed musket from 
the walls. Evening closed without any thing being effected 
by this band of heroes ; and in the middle of the night, an 
alarm being raised of a sally from the garrison, the whole 
besieging army began a tumultuous flight, tumbling over 
each other and upsetting every thing in their way, thinking 
only how they might soonest escape from danger. The 
retreat was continued through the whole of the following 
day and night, no halt having taken place till ten of the 
second morning. Thus closed this memorable campaign. 

Clapperton, at the sultan's suggestion, repaired to Sack- 
atoo (which he now calls Soccatoo) ; the monarch himself 
remaining behind at Magaria, a neighbouring town, which 
he was raising into a new capital. The traveller's time 
was spent between the two places. He found, however, 
an entire change in the feelings of kindness and cordiality 
towards himself, which had been so remarkably displayed 
in the former journey. Jealousies had begun to fester in 
the breasts of the African princes. They dreaded some am- 
bitious design in those repeated missions sent by England 
without any conceivable motive ; for, that men should un- 
dertake such long journeys out of mere curiosity, they could 
never imagine. The sultan accordingly had received a 
letter from the court of Bornou, warning him that, by this 
very mode of sending embassies and presents, which the 
English were now following towards the states of Central 
Africa, they had made themselves masters of India, and 
trampled on all its native princes. The writer, therefore, 
gave it as his opinion that Clapperton should immediately 
be put to death. An alarm had, in fact, been spread 
throughout Sackatoo that the English were coming to in- 
vade Houssa. The panic was groundless ; no European 
potentate would at present dream of attempting to conquer 



184 clapperton's second journey, 

those vast and almost inaccessible regions of Interior 
Africa. However, with the imperfect knowledge possessed 
by these chiefs, and the facts before them relative to India, 
they had scarcely the means of judging as to the foundation 
of their apprehensions. The sultan, irritated doubtless at 
the shameful result of his grand expedition against Coonia, 
felt also another and more pressing fear. War had just 
broken out between himself and the king of Bornou ; 
Clapperton was on his way to visit that prince, and had 
left six muskets at Kano, supposed to be intended as pre- 
sents to him 5 and six muskets in Central Africa, where the 
whole Fellata empire could scarcely muster forty, were 
almost enough to turn the scale between these two great mi- 
litary powers. Under the impulse of these feelings, Bello pro- 
ceeded to steps unworthy of a prince and a man of honour. 
He demanded a sight of the letter which Clapperton was 
conveying to the king of Bornou ; and when this was of 
course refused, he seized it by violence. Lander was in- 
duced by false pretences to bring the baggage from Kano 
to Sackatoo, when forcible possession was taken of the six 
muskets. The Captain loudly exclaimed against these 
proceedings, declaring them to amount to the basest rob- 
bery, to a breach of all faith, and to be the worst actions 
of which any man could be guilty. This was rather strong 
language to be used to a sovereign, especially to one who 
could at any moment have cut oft' his head ; and the minis- 
ter even dropped hints as if matters might come to that 
issue, though, in point of fact, the government did not pro* 
ceed to any personal violence. But, from other causes, the 
career of this spirited and hitherto successful traveller was 
now drawing to a close. 

The strong constitution of Clapperton had till this period 
enabled him to resist all the baneful influences of an Afri- 
can climate. He had recovered, though perhaps not com- 
pletely, from the effects of the rash exposure which had 
proved fatal to his two companions ; but he had, when 
overcome with heat and fatigue, in hunting at Magaria, 
lain down on a damp spot in the open air, and was soon 
after seized with dysentery, which continued to assume 
more alarming symptoms. Indeed, after the seizure of the 
letter to the sultan of Bornou, he was never seen to smile, 
and in his sleep was heard addressing loud reproaches to 



CLAPPERTON S SECOND JOURNEY. 185 

the Arabs. Unable to rise from bed, and deserted by all 
his African friends, who saw him no longer a favourite at 
court, he was watched with tender care by his faithful ser- 
vant Richard Lander, who devoted his whole time to at- 
tendance on his sick master. At length he called him to 
his bedside, and said — " Richard, I shall shortly be no 
more, — I feel myself dying." Almost choked with grief, 
Lander replied, " God forbid, my dear master, — you will 
iive many years yet." But the other replied, " don't be 
so much affected, my dear boy, I entreat you ; it is the will 
of the Almighty, it cannot be helped." He then gave par- 
ticular directions as to the disposal of his papers, and of all 
that remained of his property ; to which strict attention 
was promised. " He then," says Lander, u took my hand 
within his, and looking me full in the face, while a tear 
6tood glistening in his eye, said, in a low but deeply-affect- 
ing tone, * My dear Richard, if you had not been with me 
I should have died long ago ; I can only thank you with 
my latest breath for your kindness and attachment to me ; 
and if I could have lived to return with you, you should have 
been placed beyond the reach of want ; but God will reward 
you.' " He still survived some days, and appeared even to 
rally a little ; but, one morning, Lander was alarmed by a 
peculiar rattling sound in his throat, and, hastening to the 
bedside, found him sitting up, and staring wildly around ; 
he laid his head gently on the dying man's shoulder ; some 
indistinct words quivered on his lips ; he strove, but inef- 
fectually, to give them utterance, and expired without a 
struggle or a sigh. 

Bello seems to have repented in some degree of his harsh 
conduct, especially after news arrived of a great victory 

fained by his troops over the sultan of Bornou. He allowed 
.ander to perform the funeral obsequies with every mark 
of respect. He also supplied him with the means of return- 
ing home, allowing him to choose his road, though advising 
him to prefer that through the Great Desert ; but Lander 
had already had too many dealings with the Arabs, and 
therefore preferred his old track through the negro coun- 
tries. 

On his arrival at Kano, Lander formed a spirited and 
highly-laudable design, which proves him to be possessed 
of a mind much superior to his station. This was nothing 
Q3 



186 

less than an attempt to resolve the great question respect • 
ing the termination of the Niger ; which he hoped to effect 
by proceeding to Fundah, the place, every one admits, at 
which the point may most easily be determined,— whether 
it flows onward to the sea or turns eastward into the inte- 
rior. Lander, in order to reach that city, proceeded due 
south, through a country diversified with rising ground, but 
«5till presenting the same fertile and luxuriant aspect as 
that through which he had just passed. He was told, 
however, that to the south there was a very elevated 
mountainous region, inhabited by a savage people called 
Yemyems. These are probably the Lamlam of Edrisi, 
reported to be devourers of human flesh, and who were 
said to have lately killed and eaten a whole caravan ; since 
which time no one had been much inclined to go near them. 
The chief place through which Lander passed was Cuttup, 
composed of five hundred little villages, clustered together, 
and forming the market for a very great extent of country. 
The king's wives were vastly delighted to receive one or 
two gilt buttons from the traveller's jacket ; and, imagin- 
ing them to be pure gold, fastened them to their ears, 
From Cuttup he proceeded to Dunrora, where he was in- 
formed that about half a day's journey eastward was the 
iarge city of Jacoba, near which flowed the Shary, in a 
continuous course between the Tchad and Fundah ; which 
last place lay now in the direction of due west. Lander 
here promised himself the satisfaction, in ten or twelve 
days, of finally solving the grand African problem, when 
suddenly four horsemen, with foaming steeds, galloped into 
the town. Their leader, followed by an immense multi- 
tude, rode up, and told the traveller that he must instantly 
return to the king of Zeg-zeg. Lander endeavoured to 
argue the point, but could get no answer, except that they 
must either bring him with them or lose their heads. It 
behooved him then, of necessity, to repair to Zaria, the capi- 
tal, where, being introduced to the king, and having de- 
livered his presents, that prince boasted of having done 
him the greatest possible favour, since the people of Fun- 
jdah, being now at war with Sultan Bello, would gertainly 
have murdered any one who had come from visiting and 
carrying gifts to that monarch. From this reasoning, 
&ound or otherwise, Lander had no appeal, and found no 



LAING. 187 

alternative but to make his way back by his former path. 
In all the places through which he passed, anxious in- 
quiries were made about " his father," as the people called 
Clapperton ; and when they heard of his death, they raised 
loud lamentations. He reached Badagry on the 21st No- 
vember, 1827 ; but, being detained some time there and at 
Cape Coast Castle, did not reach England till the 30th 
April, 1828. 

The British government were still indefatigable in their 
exertions to explore every region of Africa. At the same 
time that Clapperton proceeded on his second expedition, 
Major Laing, who had distinguished himself in the Ashan- 
tee war, and in the short excursion already mentioned to- 
wards the source of the Niger, undertook to penetrate to 
Timbuctoo, which, from the first era of modern discovery, 
has been regarded as the most prominent city of Central 
Africa. Tripoli was again chosen as the starting point, 
from which he directed his steps south-west across the 
Desert by way of Ghadamis. He set out under the pro- 
tection of sheik Babani, who had resided twenty-two years at 
Timbuctoo, and proved now to be governor of Ghadamis ; 
but in the midst of the Desert, sixteen days after leaving 
Tuat, a band of ferocious Tuaricks surprised the cafila 
while Major Laing was in bed, and having inflicted twenty- 
four wounds, eight of them with a sabre, left him for dead. 
Through the care of his companions, however, he made a 
surprising recovery, numerous portions of bone having 
been extracted from his head and temples. After some 
farther delays he succeeded, on the 18th August, 1826, in 
reaching Timbuctoo, where he remained for upwards of a 
month. Several letters were received from him dated at 
that celebrated city, respecting which he stated, that, ex- 
cept in point of extent, which did not exceed the circuit of 
four miles, it had completely answered his expectation ; 
that he had found its records copious and interesting ; and 
had collected ample materials for correcting and improving 
the geography of this part of Africa, But his departure 
was hastened by the following circumstance ; Labo, or 
Bello, sultan of Masina, having obtained the supremacy 
over Timbuctoo, sent a letter to Osman, the governor, with 
instructions that the Christian, who, he understood, was 
expected there, should be forthwith expelled in such ft 



188 CAILLIE. 

manner as to leave him no hope of ever returning. Laing, 
thus obliged to accelerate his retreat, made an arrangement 
with Barbooshi, a Moorish merchant, to accompany and 
protect him in the route by Sego to the coast, which he had 
determined to follow. Three days after leaving Timbuc- 
too, when the caravan was in the heart of the Desert, this 
wretch, instigated by the basest avarice, murdered, in the 
night-time, the individual whom he had undertaken to 
guard, taking possession of all his effects. Yet Major 
Laing's papers, it appears, were carried to Timbuctoo ; nay, 
the Quarterly Review has produced strong reasons for be- 
lieving that they were actually conveyed back to Tripoli, 
and that it was owing to the vilest treachery, in a quarter 
where it ought least to have been apprehended, that they 
have not been forwarded to the British government. As, 
however, the light, which is still much wanted, may per- 
haps be hereafter thrown on this dark transaction, we wish 
not at present to allude to it in a more pointed manner. 

Another journey was now announced, which, in the first 
instance, strongly excited the public expectation. The 
French sava?is proclaimed throughout Europe, that M. 
Caillie, their countryman, animated by the hope of a prize 
offered by the Society of Geography, had penetrated across 
Africa from Sierra Leone to Morocco, having passed through 
Jenne and Timbuctoo, those two great seats of commerce 
which modern travellers had sought so long to reach, and 
whence none had ever returned. Caillie, rewarded with a 
pension and the cross of the Legion of Honour, was imme- 
diately classed with the first of modern travellers. These 
somewhat extravagant pretensions, contrasted with the de- 
fects of the narrative itself when laid before the public, gave 
rise in high quarters to a doubt whether there were any 
reality whatever in this expedition, and whether M. Caillie* 
were not another Damberger. On a careful examination 
of circumstances we are inclined to believe the accuracy of 
the narrative. There seems good authority for admitting 
his departure from Sierra Leone ; for his having announced 
the intention to undertake this journey ; and, lastly, for his 
arrival at Rabat in Morocco, in the condition of a dis- 
tressed, way-worn traveller. His statement, too, with all 
its defects, bears an aspect of simplicity and good faith, and 
contains various minute details, including undesigned coin- 



CAILLIE. 189 

cidences with facts ascertained from other quarters. His 
false reports of celestial phenomena might arise from his 
ignorance of such subjects ; while his inaccuracies in re- 
gard to Major Laing might proceed from the defective hear* 
say information on which he depended. Perhaps these 
last form rather a presumption in his favour, since, in com- 
posing a forgery, he would probably have brought his state- 
ments into a studious agreement with those of the Quar- 
terly Review, well known as the only authentic source in 
this country. 

Though disposed to consider M. Caillie's expedition as 
genuine and authentic, we regard it nevertheless as having 
made only a limited addition to our knowledge of Interior 
Africa. English travellers had already explored the coun- 
try all around Timbuctoo, had traced the Niger far beyond 
that city, and had ascertained its position in respect to the 
surrounding regions. The object now is, to obtain a de- 
scription of Timbuctoo by an intelligent and learned tra- 
veller, which M. Caillie is not. He certainly deserves com* 
mendation for his enterprise ; but fortune has denied him 
education, and nature has not bestowed upon him any 
ample share of reflection or judgment. Nevertheless it 
was impossible to pass through such extensive and re- 
markable countries without gleaning some valuable inform- 
ation, of which we shall now endeavour to extract the most 
important particulars. 

Rene Caillie was born in 1800, of poor parents, at 
Mauze, in the department of the Deux Sevres. The read- 
ing of voyages and travels, and especially of Robinson 
Crusoe, inspired him, he tells us, with such an unconquer- 
able thirst for adventure as took away all relish for the 
sports and occupations of his age ; and, after some opposi- 
tion from his friends, he was permitted to follow his in- 
clination. Having got a sight of some maps of Africa, the 
vast spaces left vacant, or marked as unknown, excited in 
his mind a peculiar interest ; hence, in 1816, he sailed from 
Rochefort for the Senegal. Some time after his arrival, 
having learned the departure of Major Gray's expedition for 
the interior, he resolved to join it, and actually set out on 
foot for that purpose ; but the fatigue of walking over loose 
sand under a burning sun overpowered him, and he was 
happy to obtain a water conveyance to Goree, He even 



190 CA1LLIE. 

left Africa, but returned in the end of 1818. Finding at 
St. Louis a party setting out with supplies for Major Gray, 
he joined them, and arrived at Bondou, but only in time to 
witness and share the failure of that expedition. 

M. Caillie's health having suffered severely from the 
fatigues of this journey, he returned and spent some years 
in France; but in 1824 he repaired again to the Senegal, 
and resumed his schemes of discovery. With the aid of 
M. Roger, the governor, he passed nearly a year among 
the tribe of Moors called Braknas, and conceived himself to 
have acquired such a knowledge of the manners and reli- 
gion of that race as would fit him for travelling in the cha- 
racter of a converted Mohammedan on a pilgrimage to 
Mecca. Having returned to St. Louis, he solicited from 
two successive governors the sum of 6000 francs, with 
which he undertook to reach Timbuctoo ; but a deaf ear 
was turned to his application. He then repaired to Sierra 
Leone, and made the same request to General Turner and 
Sir Neil Campbell ; but these officers could not be expected, 
without authority from home, to bestow such a sum on a 
foreigner possessing no very striking qualifications. They 
received him kindly, however, and gave him appointments 
out of which he saved about 80Z. ; when, stimulated by the 
prize of 1000 francs offered by the French Society of Geo- 
graphy to any individual who should succeed in reaching 
Timbuctoo, he formed the spirited resolution to undertake 
this arduous journey with only the resources which the 
above slender sum could command. 

On the 19th April, 1827, M. Caillie set out from Ka- 
kundy with a small caravan of Mandingoes. His route lay 
through the centre of the kingdom of Foota Jallo, in a line 
intermediate between its two capitals of Teemboo and Laby. 
This was a very elevated district, watered by the infant 
streams of the Senegal and Niger, which descend from a 
still higher region towards the south. It was a laborious 
route to travel, being steep, rocky, traversed by numerous 
ravines and torrents, and often obstructed by dense forests. 
It presented, however, many highly-picturesque views ; 
while the copious rivulets diffused a rich verdure over exten- 
sive tracts, on which the Foulahs fed numerous flocks, 
which, with a little rice they contrived to raise, sufficed for 
their subsistence. Fruits of various kinds, yams, and other 



CAILLIE. 191 

vegetables, are also cultivated with success. Their rude 
agriculture, however, is conducted chiefly by slaves, who 
are in general well treated, living in villages by themselves, 
and having two days in the week allowed to provide for 
their own subsistence. Caillie, like other writers, describes 
the Foulahs as a fine and handsome people, attached to a 
pastoral life, but at the same time very warlike, and exces- 
sively bigoted in religion. 

In his route through Foota Jallo, the traveller crossed 
the Baring, not far from its source, where it was still ford- 
able, though it rolled a rapid and foaming stream about 100 
paces broad. It is said, at a little distance above, to form 
a very striking cataract. About 100 miles farther on, in 
the territory of Kankan, near the village of Couroussa, he 
came to the Joliba or Niger, already a very considerable 
river, eight or ten feet deep, and running at the rate of two 
miles and a half an hour. 

Kankan, where the traveller spent some time, is described 
as an interesting place, with about 6000 inhabitants, sur- 
roanded by a beautiful quickset-hedge, answering the pur- 
pose of a wall for defence. The market, held thrice a 
week, is extremely well supplied, not only with the native 
commodities of cloth, honey, wax, cotton, provisions, cattle, 
and gold from the neighbouring district of Boure, but also 
with European articles brought up from the coast, among 
which the chief are, firearms, powder, India calicoes, amber, 
beads, and coral. The adjoining country is fertile and 
highly cultivated. The Milo, a tributary to the Niger, 
runs close by the town. To the north is the province of 
Boure', which our author represents as more abundant in 
gold than any other in this part of Africa. The metallic 
produce here, as well as in the districts visited by Park, is 
entirely alluvial, imbedded in a species of earth, from which 
it is separated by agitation in water. 

M. Caillie remained more than a month at Kankan be- 
fore he could find a caravan to guide him through Ouas- 
soulo, a fine country diversified by numerous little villages 
surrounded by fields neatly laid out and highly cultivated. 
The people are industrious, mild, humane, hospitable, and, 
though pagans, feel no enmity towards their Mohammedan 
neighbours. The women weave a fine cotton cloth, which 
is exported to all the surrounding districts ; yet there was 



1 92 CAILLIE. 

a want of that cleanliness which, in Kankan, had formed a 
pleasant feature. Beyond Ouassoulo is the town of Sam- 
batikila, the inhabitants of which live in voluntary poverty* 
bestowing little trouble on the cultivation of the ground, 
which they allege distracts them from the study of the 
Koran,— a statement justly derided as only a specious cloak 
for their indolence. The traveller came next to Time, 
situated in a favourable territory, fertile, and profusely irri- 
gated, yielding abundantly various fruits and vegetables, 
which are scarce or unknown on the coast. Among these 
were the shea or butter-tree, and the kolla or goora nuts, 
which are esteemed a great luxury, and conveyed in large 
quantities into the interior. The victuals, however, were 
found insipid, owing to the almost total absence of salt, 
which can only be procured by the wealthy ; nor could our 
traveller at all relish the plan of seasoning food by a sauce 
extracted from the flesh of mice. 

He was detained at Time upwards of five months by a 
severe illness. On the 9th January, 1828, he joined a ca- 
ravan for Jenne, and proceeded through a district generally 
well cultivated, and containing a number of considerable 
villages, till, on the 10th March, he came in view, near the 
village of Cougalia, of the Niger, which appeared to him 
only about 500 feet broad, but very deep, flowing gently 
through a flat and open country. The caravan sailed across 
it, and, after travelling six miles, and passing, by rather 
deep fords, two smaller branches, they entered the city of 
Jenne, one of the most celebrated and important in Central 
Africa, and which had never before been visited by an Euro- 
pean traveller. 

Jenne is described by Caillie as situated at the eastern ex- 
tremity of a branch of the Niger separating below Sego 
from the main current, with which, after passing the former 
city, it again unites. This delineation seems doubtfuL 
Such a branch, had it existed, would probably have been 
observed by Park, who, on the contrary, describes the river 
which passes by Jenne as a separate stream, tributary to the 
Niger. The Arabic term, translated by us island, is of very 
vague import, being familiarly applied to a peninsula, and 
even to a space wholly or partially enclosed by river- 
branches. The country around, as far as the eye could 
reach, formed only a naked marshy plain, interspersed with 



CAILLIE. 193 

fe few clumps of trees and bushes. The city was two miles 
and a half in circuit, surrounded by a wall of earth; the 
houses rather well built, composed of sun-dried bricks, two 
stories high, without windows in front, but lighted from in- 
terior courts. The streets are too narrow for carriages, but 
of such breadth that seven or eight persons may walk 
abreast. The population is reckoned by M. Caillie at 8,000 
or 10,000; but upon this subject we suspect he is apt to 
form his estimates somewhat too low. The inhabitants 
consist of various African tribes, attracted by the extensive 
commerce of which Jenne is the centre. The four prin- 
cipal are the Foulahs, Mandingoes, Bambarras, and Moors, 
of whom the first are the most numerous, and are bigoted 
adherents to the Mohammedan faith, compelling the pagan 
Bambarras who resort to Jenne to conform to the rules of 
the Koran during their temporary residence. The trade is 
chiefly in the hands of thirty or forty Moorish merchants, 
who often unite in partnership, and maintain a communi- 
cation with Timbuctoo, in barks of considerable size ranged 
along the river. The negro merchants also carry on busi- 
ness, but on a smaller scale, and chiefly in native articles. 
The markets are filled with the productions of the sur- 
rounding country, either for consumption or exportation* 
— cloth, grain, fruits, kolla-nuts, meat, fish, gold from 
Boure, and unhappily with numerous slaves, who are pa- 
raded through the streets, and offered at the rate of from 
35,000 to 40,000 cowries each. These commodities draw 
in return from Timbuctoo, salt, Indian cloths, firearms, 
beads, toys, and all the variety of European articles. The 
merchants of Jenne were found more polished in their 
manners than any native Africans with whom Caillie had 
yet held intercourse : they were extremely hospitable, en- 
tertaining him at free quarters during his whole stay ; but 
he considers them as having driven an exceedingly hard 
bargain for his goods. The mode of living, even of the 
most wealthy, was extremely simple. Their houses con- 
tained scarcely any furniture ; and their clothes were de- 
posited in a large leathern bag, generally suspended from 
the roof. The chief entertainment to which our traveller 
was invited consisted merely of a huge fragment of a 
sheep stewed in onions, and, as usual, eaten with the 
fingers, — four cups of tea concluding the repast* 



1 94 CAILLIE. 

On the 23d March, M. Caillie* left Jenne, near which he 
embarked on the Joliba, which was there half a mile broad, 
in a vessel of sixty tons burden, but of very slight construc- 
tion, and bound together with cords. Such barks, impelled 
without sails, and deeply laden, cannot proceed with safety 
when the waters are agitated by a brisk gale ; therefore 
much time is consumed in the voyage. The traveller 
passed first through the country of Banan, which presented 
a surface flat and monotonous, but abounding in flocks and 
herds. On the 2d April, the river opened into the great 
lake Dibbie, here called Debo, in sailing across which, not- 
withstanding its magnitude, land was lost sight of in no di- 
rection except the west, where the water appeared to extend 
indefinitely like an ocean. Three islands, observed at dif- 
ferent points, were, not very happily, named St. Charles, 
Maria Theresa, and Henri, after three individuals who, the 
author little suspected, would so soon be exiled from 
France. 

After quitting this lake, the Niger flowed through a 
country thinly occupied by Foulah shepherds, and by some 
tents of the rude Tuaricks. On the 19th April, he arrived 
at Cabra, the port of Timbuctoo, consisting of a long row 
of houses composed of earth and straw, extending about half 
a mile on the bank of the river. The inhabitants, estimated 
at about 1200, are entirely employed in lading and unlading 
the numerous barks which touch at the quay. 

In the evening of the 20th April, Caillie, with some com- 
panions, rode from Cabra, and entered Timbuctoo, which he 
calls Temboctou. He describes himself as struck with an ex- 
traordinary and joyful emotion at the view of this mysterious 
city, so long the object of curiosity to the civilized nations of 
Europe. The scene, however, presented little of that gran- 
deur and wealth with which the name has been associated. 
It comprised only a heap of ill-built earthen houses, all 
around which were spread immense plains of moving sand 
of a yellowish-white colour, and parched in the extreme. 
" The horizon is of a pale red, — all is gloomy in nature, — 
the deepest silence reigns, — not the song of a single bird is 
heard ;" yet there was something imposing in the view of a 
great city, thus raised amid sands and deserts by the mere 
power of commerce. 

Although M. Caillie' resided above a fortnight in Tim 




Timbuctoo according to Caille\— [p. 195.] 



CAILLIE. 195 

buctoo, his information respecting it is very defective. It 
appears, except in point of situation, to be nearly such a 
city as Jenne, consisting of large houses, chiefly tenanted 
by Moorish merchants, intermingled with conical straw-huts 
occupied by negroes. The author has given a croquis, or 
sketch of part of the city, which, though very deficient in per- 
spective, is yet so curious as to merit a place in this publi- 
cation. There are seven mosques, of which the principal 
one is very extensive, having three galleries, each two hun- 
dred feet long, with a tower upwards of fifty feet high. 
One part, apparently more ancient than the rest, and 
almost falling into ruin, was thought to exhibit a style of 
architecture decidedly superior to the more modern build- 
ings. 

Timbuctoo is entirely supported by commerce. It is the 
depot of the salt conveyed from the mines of Taudeny, and 
also of the European goods brought by the caravans from 
Morocco, as well as by those from Tunis and Tripoli, which 
come by way of Ghadamis. These goods are embarked for 
Jenne, to be exchanged for the gold, slaves, and provisions 
with which that city exclusively supplies Timbuctoo, the 
neighbourhood being almost a complete desert. The popu- 
lation is estimated at 10,000 or 12,000, which, not being in 
proportion to a town three miles in circumference, is pro- 
bably underrated. The people are chiefly negroes of the 
Kissour tribe, but bigoted Mohammedans. There appeared 
less bustle and activity than at Jenne, — a circumstance 
which does not seem very easily accounted for. Osman, 
the king, was an agreeable-looking negro of fifty-five, to 
whom the traveller was introduced, without being aware 
that he was only viceroy, or at least tributary, to the sultan 
of Masina. The country is much harassed by the wan- 
dering tribe of Tauricks, who, like the Bedouins in Arabia, 
levy a regular tax on the caravans.* 

* The map constructed by M. .Tomard, upon Caillie's routes, changes 
greatly the position of Timbuctoo, especially in respect to longitude, 
which it places four degrees to the westward of the site assigned by Ma- 
jor Rennel. It seems impossible, however, to admit an alteration to this 
extent, which would throw Sego so far westward as to render Park's 
bearings from Jarra to Sego, and from Sego to Bammakoo, completely 
erroneous. Besides, it appears to us that M. Jomard has forced to the 
westward all the positions between Jenne and Timbuctoo, in a manner 
quite unwarranted by M. Caillie's own descriptions. This excess 



196 CAILLIE. 

Caillie* left Timbuctoo on the 4th May, and in six days 
arrived at Aroan or Arouan, which he found rather a well- 
built town of 3000 inhabitants, supported solely by the pas- 
sage of the caravans from Barbary, and from the salt-mines 
of Taudeny, which usually halt here before and after pass- 
ing the desert that extends to the northwards. The envi^ 
rons of Aroan are of the most desolate aspect, and all its 
provisions are drawn from Jenne by way of Timbuctoo. 
The neighbourhood does not afford an herb or a shrub, and 
the only fuel consists of the dried dung of camels. The 
springs of water, which alone render it habitable, are abun- 
dant, but of bad quality. The town also carries on a con- 
siderable trade in light goods directly with Sansanding and 
Yamina. Walet was mentioned as a great emporium, situ- 
ated to the west-south-west, in a position somewhat differ- 
ent from that assigned by Park ; but the data in both cases 
are very vague, and we do not see the slightest ground for 
M. Jomard's conjecture that there are two Walets. 

Our traveller departed from Aroan on the 19th May, in 
company with a caravan of 120 camels laden with the pro- 
ductions of Soudan. He had the prospect of crossing a 
desert of ten days' journey, in which there was scarcely 
a drop of water. " Before us appeared a horizon without 
bounds, in which our eyes distinguished only an immense 
plain of burning sand, enveloped by a sky on fire. At this 
spectacle the camels raised long cries, and the slaves 
mournfully lifted their eyes to heaven." M. Cailli£, how- 
ever, departed in high spirits, animated by the idea of being 
the first European who should, from the southern side, have 

becomes manifest in the line from Galia to the mouth of the Debo, 
35 miles of which are stated to run north-east, without a single move- 
ment in a contrary direction ; yet M. Jomard has manoeuvred to make 
the last position the most westerly of the two. If the route from Jenne to 
Timbuctoo lies as much to the northward as M. Caillie represents, where, 
indeed, he in some measure agrees with the delineation of D'Anville, it 
must be somewhat farther west than our maps place it, but not nearly so 
far as M. Jomard fixes it. In regard to the observation of latitude at- 
tempted by the traveller, M. Jomard's claims are indeed very moderate 
since he merely argues, that in the absence of any other, this is not 
wholly to be neglected ; yet even this seems too much, when he at the 
same time admits, that all the observations made by him in a similar 
manner are of no value whatever. Under these circumstances, we con- 
ceive that it would be premature to change, in our map, the position of 
Timbuctoo from that formerly fixed by Major Rennel. 



WESTERN AFRICA. 



'197 



crossed this ocean of shingle. But his tone of feeling was 
soon lowered when he came to experience the sufferings 
arising from the intense heat, the blowing of the sand, and 
the scanty supply of water, which was allowed to the cara- 
van only twice a-day leaving long intervals, daring which 
the most tormenting thirst was endured. Some small wells, 
from which they had hoped for a little aid, were found dry ; 
so that both men and animals were reduced to the last ex- 
tremity, when they reached the copious springs of Telig, 
and relieved their thirst by repeated draughts. 

During many succeeding marches, water again became 
scarce, and Caillie had much to suffer from the insult and 
neglect of his companions. El Drah, on the outer frontier of 
Morocco, was the first inhabited district ; but it was poor, 
and occupied by inhospitable tribes of Moors and Berebbers. 
Turning somewhat eastward, they passed through the fine 
country of Tafilet, covered with noble woods of date-trees, 
and producing a valuable breed of sheep. They then crossed 
with labour a rugged limb of the Atlas, and arrived at Fez, 
whence the adventurer found his way, though in a some- 
what poor plight, to Tangier. He arrived on the 18th 
August, 1828, and M. Delaporte, the vice-consul, received 
and forwarded him to France. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Western Africa, 



The whole coast of Western Africa within the tropics, 
forming a wide sweep around the Gulf of Guinea, has long 
been occupied by a chain of European forts, erected with a 
view to the commerce in gold, iron, and palm-oil, but above 
all in slaves ; and since this last object has been finally 
abandoned by Great Britain, these stations have become to 
her of very secondary importance. The territory is in the 
possession of a number of petty states, many of which 
compose aristocratic republics, turbulent, restless, licen- 
tious, and generally rendered more depraved by their fre<- 
R2 



198 WESTERN AFRICA. 

quent intercourse with Europeans. The interior country, 
extending parallel to the great central chain of mountains, 
of which the principal branch is here called Kong, presents 
nothing of that desert and arid character which is stamped 
on so great a proportion of the African continent. The 
soil, copiously watered, is liable rather to an excessive 
luxuriance ; but, where well managed, it is highly fruitful. 
There are found, too, in this tract, several very powerful 
kingdoms, better organized and more improved than any 
near the coast. They have not, however, the slightest 
tincture of European civilization ; and their manners, in 
several important respects, are stained with habits and 
practices that belong to the very lowest stage of savage life. 
Of these greater states the first to which Europeans 
penetrated was Dahomey, which had distinguished itself 
early in the last century by the conquest it then achieved 
of the flourishing kingdom of Whidah, on the slave-coast. 
The Dahomans committed the most horrible ravages that 
were ever witnessed,- — reducing their country, the most 
fertile and beautiful then known in Western Africa, to 
almost utter desolation. As the king of Dahomey con- 
tinued to hold sway over this province, Mr. Norris, in 1772, 
undertook a journey thither to observe the character and 
position of this extraordinary potentate, and to make 
arrangements for the benefit of the English trade. He 
passed through a fine country, abounding in the usual tro- 
pical productions, and rising by a gentle ascent about 150 
miles inland to Abomey, the capital. He arrived at an 
appalling season, that of the annual customs, when the 
great men were assembled from every quarter of the king- 
dom ; and he was truly astonished to see those fierce and 
warlike chieftains, whose very name spreads terror through- 
out Africa, prostrating themselves before the monarch, flat 
on the ground, and piling dust on their heads in token of 
the most abject submission. This homage is yielded, not 
from fear, but from a blind and idolatrous veneration, which 
makes them regard their king in the light of a superior 
being. In his name they rush to battle, and encounter 
their foes with Spartan intrepidity. One of them said to 
Mr. Norris, " I think of my king, and then I dare engage 
£ve of the enemy myself." He added, " My head belongs 
.0 the king, and not to myself; if he please to send for it, I 






NORMS DAHOMEY. 199 

am ready to resign it ; or if it be shot through in a battle, 
I am satisfied, since it is in his service." The main object 
contemplated in this national anniversary is, that the king 
may water the graves of his ancestors with the blood of 
human victims. These are numerous, consisting of pri- 
soners taken in war, of condemned criminals, and of many 
seized by lawless violence. The captives are brought out 
m succession, with their arms pinioned ; and a fetisheer, 
laying his hand upon the devoted head, utters a few magic 
words, while another from behind, with a large scimitar, 
severs it from the body, when shouts of applause ascend 
from the surrounding multitude. At any time when the 
king has a message to convey to one of his deceased rela- 
tions, he delivers it to one of his subjects, then strikes off 
his head, that he may carry it to the other world ; and if 
any thing farther occurs to him after he has performed this 
ceremony, he delh ers it to another messenger, whom he 
despatches in the same manner. 

Another grand object of this periodical festival is the 
market for wives. All the unmarried females throughout 
the kingdom are esteemed the property of the sovereign, 
and are brought to the annual customs, to be placed at his 
disposal. He selects for himself such as appear most beau- 
tiful and engaging, and retails the others at enormous 
prices to his chiefs and nobles. No choice on this occasion 
is allowed to the purchaser ; in return for his twenty thou- 
sand cowries, a wife is handed out, and, even be she old 
and ugly, he must rest contented ; nay, some, it is said, 
have in mockery been presented with their own mothers. 
The king usually keeps his wives up to the number of three 
thousand, who serve him in various capacities, — being 
partly trained to a :t as a body-guard, regularly regimented, 
and equipped with drums, flags, bows and arrows, while a 
few carry muskets. They all reside in the palace, which 
consists merely of an immense assemblage of cane and 
mud tents, enclosed by a high wall. The sculls and jaw- 
bones of enemies slain in battle form the favourite orna- 
ment of the palaces and temples. The king's apartment is 
paved, and the walls and roof stuck over with these horrid 
trophies ; and if a farther supply appears desirable, he 
announces to his general that " his house wants thatch," 
when a war for that purpose is immediately undertaken. 



200 WESTERN AFRICA. 

Mr. M'Leod, during his residence at Whidah, in 1803, 
found the country still groaning under the cruel effects of 
Dahoman tyranny. He particularly deplores the case of 
Sally Abson, daughter of the late English governor by a 
native female, who, trained in all European accomplish- 
ments, added to them the most engaging simplicity of 
manners. Suddenly, she disappeared, and Mr. M'Leod's 
eager inquiries were met by a mysterious silence ; all hung 
down their heads, confused and terrified. At length an old 
domestic whispered to him that a party of the king's half- 
heads (as his messengers are termed) had carried her off in 
the night, to be enrolled among the number of his wives, 
and warned him of the danger of uttering a word of com 
plaint. 

A more pleasing spectacle was presented to Messrs. Watt 
and Winterbottom, who, in 1794, ascended the Rio Nunez 
to Kakundy, and made an excursion to Foota Jallo, the 
principal state of the southern Foulahs. This people pro- 
fess the Mohammedan religion, are orderly and well in- 
structed, display skill in working mines of iron, and in car- 
rying on the manufacture of cloth, leather, and other African 
fabrics. Caravans of 500 or 600 Foulabs were often met, 
carrying on their heads loads of 160 pounds weight. The 
article chiefly sought after is salt, which the children suck as 
ours do sugar ; and it is common to describe a rich man by 
saying, he eats salt. The two principal towns, Laby and 
Teemboo, were found to contain respectively 5000 and 7000 
inhabitants. The king could muster 16,000 troops, whom, 
unhappily, he employed in war, or at least hunts, against 
twenty-four pagan nations that surround his territory, 
chiefly with the view of procuring slaves for the market on 
the coast. When the travellers represented to him the ini- 
quity of this course, he replied, " The people with whom 
we go to war never pray to God ; we never go to war with 
people who pray to God Almighty." As they urged, that 
in a case of common humanity this ought to make no dis- 
tinction, he quoted passages from the* Koran commanding 
the faithful to make war on unbelievers. They took the 
liberty to insinuate that these might be interpolations of 
the Devil, but found it impossible to shake his reliance on 
their authenticity. 

A more recent ar?d memorable intercourse was that opened 



ASHANTEE. 201 

with the court of Ashantee. This people were first men* 
tioned, in the beginning of last century, under the name 
of Assente or Asienti, and as constituting a great kingdom 
in the interior, — the same that was described to Mr. Lucas, 
at Tripoli, as the ultimate destination of those caravans 
which, proceeding from that city, measure the breadth of 
Africa. Being separated from the maritime districts, how- 
ever, by Aquamboc, Dinkira, and other powerful states, they 
did not come inro contact with any European settlement. 
It was not, indeed, till the commencement of this century 
that these states were obliged to give way before the grow- 
ing strength of the Ashantee empire, which at length ex- 
tended to the borders of the Fantees, the principal people 
on the Gold Coast. These last were ill fitted to cope with 
such formidable neighbours. They are a turbulent, rest- 
less tribe, and extremely prompt in giving offence, but in 
battle they are equally cowardly and undisciplined. The 
king of Ashantee having, not unwillingly perhaps, re- 
ceived from them high provocation, sent, in 1808, an army 
of 15,000 warriors, which entered their territory, and laid 
it waste with fire and sword. At length they came to 
Anamaboe, where the Fantees had assembled a force of 
9000 men ; but these were routed at the first onset, and 
put to death, except a few who sought the protection of the 
British fort. The victors, then considering the British as 
allies of their enemy, turned their arms against the station, 
at that time defended by not more than twelve men. Yet 
this gallant little band, supported by slender bulwarks, 
completely baffled the fierce and repeated assaults made by 
this barbarous host, who were repulsed with considerable 
slaughter. Seized with admiration and respect for British 
prowess, the Ashantees now made proposals for a negotia- 
tion, which were accepted, and mutual visits were paid 
and returned. The English officers were peculiarly struck 
with the splendid array, the dignified and courteous man- 
ners, and even the just moral feeling, displayed by these 
warlike strangers. They, on their side, expressed an 
ardent desire to open a communication with the sea and 
with the British, complaining that the turbulent Fantees 
opposed the only obstacle to so desirable a purpose. A 
treaty was concluded, and a thoroughly good understanding 
seemed established between the two nations. The Ashan^ 



202 



WESTERN AFRICA. 



tees, however, made several successful incursions in 1811 
and 1816 ; and on the last occasion the Fautees were 
obliged to own their supremacy, and engage to pay an 
annual tribute. The British government judiciously kept 
aloof from these feuds ; but in 1817 a mission was sent, 
under Messrs. James, Bowdich, and Hutchinson, to visit the 
capital of that powerful kingdom, and to adjust some trifling 
dissensions which had unavoidably arisen. 

The mission having set out on the 22d April, 1817, passed 
over a country covered, in a great measure, with immense 
and overgrown woods, through which a footpath had with 
difficulty been cut, though in some parts it presented the 
most beautiful scenery. Being delayed by Mr. James's ill- 
ness, they did not arrive at Coomassie, the capital, till the 
19th May, when they were surprised at its unexpected 
splendour. It was four miles in circumference, built not in- 
deed with European elegance, but in a style considerably 
superior to any of the maritime towns. The houses, though 
low, and constructed only of wood, were profusely covered 




BOWDICH — ASHANfEE. 203 

with ornament and sculpture. The array of the caboceers, 
or gieat war-chiefs, was at once brilliant, dazzling, and wild. 
They were loaded with fine cloths, in which vafriously- 
coloured threads of the richest foreign silks were curiously 
interwoven ; and both themselves and their horses were co- 
vered with decorations of gold beads, Moorish charms, or 
amulets, purchased at a high price, and the whole inter- 
mingled with strings of human teeth and bones. Leopards' 
skins, red shells, elephants' tails, eagle and ostrich feathers, 
and brass bells were among the favourite ornaments. On 
being introduced to the king, the English found all these 
embellishments crowded and concentrated on his own per- 
son and that of his attendants, who were literally oppressed 
with large masses of solid gold. Even the most common 
utensils were composed of that metal. At the same time, 
the executioner, with his hatchet on his breast, and the ex- 
ecution-stool clotted with blood, gave a thoroughly savage 
character to all this pomp. The manners of the king, how- 
ever, were marked by a dignified courtesy ; he received the 
strangers cordially, and desired them to come and speak their 
palaver in the market-place. On the presents being carried 
to the palace, he expressed high satisfaction, as well as 
great admiration of the English workmanship. After seve- 
ral other interviews, he entered on the subjects under dis- 
cussion, which related to some annual payments formerly 
made to the Fantees for permission to erect forts, as well as 
for the ground on which they stood ; and the king now de- 
manded, as conqueror of the country, that these payments 
should be transferred to himself. The claim was small, and 
seems, according to African ideas, to have been reasonable ; 
but Mr. James thought himself bound to remain intrenched 
in the rules of European diplomacy, and simply replied, that 
he would state the demand to the governor of Cape Coast. 
The king then told them that he expected they had come to 
settle all palavers, and to stay and be friends with him ; but 
now he found that their object was to make a fool of him. 
Considering himself insulted, he broke through the ceremo- 
nious politeness which he had before studiously maintained. 
He called out," The white men join with the Fantees to cheat 
me, to put shame upon my face." Mr. James having re- 
mained firm, the king became more incensed, and exclaimed, 
" The English come to cheat me ; they come to spy the 



204 WESTERN AFRICA. 

country ; they want war, they want war !" Mr. Jarnes 
merely replied, " No ; we want trade ;" but the monarch's 
wrath increased to such a degree, that he started from his 
seat, and bit his beard, calling out, " Shantee foo ! Shantee 
foo !" and added, " If a black man had brought me this mes- 
sage, I would have had his head cut off before me." A sin- 
gular manoeuvre now took place in the diplomatic party. 
Mr. Bowdich, with two junior members, conceiving that 
Mr. James's too rigid adherence to rule was endangering 
llie preservation of peace with this powerful sovereign, re- 
solved to supersede him, and undertake the charge of the 
negotiation. They conducted it entirely to the satisfaction 
of his Ashantee majesty, who concluded a treaty with the 
English, and even made a proposal of sending two of his 
sons to be educated at Cape Coast Castle. 

During their stay at Coomassie, the commissioners wit- 
nessed dreadful scenes, which seem to sink the Ashantee 
character even below the ordinary level of savage life. The 
customs, or human sacrifices, are practised on a scale still 
more tremendous than at Dahomey. The king had lately 
sacrificed on the grave of his mother 3000 victims, 2000 of 
whom were Fantee prisoners ; and at the death of the late 
sovereign the sacrifice was continued weekly for three 
months, consisting each time of two hundred slaves. The 
absurd belief here entertained that the rank of the deceased 
in the future world is decided by the train which he carries 
along with him, makes filial piety interested in promoting 
by this means the exaltation of a departed parent. Oh 
these occasions, the caboceers and princes, in order to court 
royal favour, often rush out, seize the first person they meet, 
and drag him in for sacrifice. While the customs last, 
therefore, it is with trembling steps that any one crosses 
his threshold ; and when compelled to do so, he rushes along 
with the utmost speed, dreading every instant the murder- 
ous grasp which would consign him to death. 

To cultivate the good understanding now established, the 
British government very judiciously sent out M. Dupuis, 
who, during his residence as consul at Mogadore, had ac- 
quired a great knowledge of Africa and its people. But, 
before his arrival, the ardour of their mutual affection had 
been cooled by the intervention of some clouds, which he 
had set out in the hope of dispelling. This mission, which 



DTJPUIS ASHANTEE. 20£ 

arrived at Coomassie early in 1820, was well conducted, 
and succeeded in its object. The king renewed, in the 
most ample measure, his professions of desire to cultivate 
a friendly intercourse with the British nation ; withdrew 
such of his demands as were shown to be inadmissible ; 
2nd while he claimed full dominion over the coast, agreed 
ihat the English should exercise jurisdiction within, and 
even in the immediate vicinity of their own forts. 

M. Dupuis found this monarch deeply impressed with 
respect for white men, and also with a desire to imitate 
and rival the pomp of European kings. He was erecting 
a palace, the outside of which consisted only of large logs of 
timber; but the interior was to be adorned with brass, 
ivory, and gold. He said, " Now white men know me, I 
must live in a great house as white kings do ; then I shall 
not be ashamed when white people come ;" — and on an- 
other occasion, "I must have everything suitable, and live 
like a white king." He had procured architects from El- 
mina to give instructions to his own subjects, who, how- 
ever, performed the task in so awkward a manner, that he 
himself laughed at them, exclaiming, "Ashantees fools 
at work." But the want of skill was compensated by their 
numbers ; and while engaged at work, they suggested to 
M. Dupuis the singular image of a legion of devils attempt- 
ing to construct a tower of Babel. 

The envoy had the unhappiness of being resident during 
the " Little Adai Custom," as it was called, and under- 
stood that in one day upwards of seventy victims had been 
sacrificed in the palace alone. He was not present ; but 
waiting on the king immediately after, saw his clothes 
stained with blood, the royal death-stool yet reeking, va- 
rious amulets steeped in gore, while a spot on the brow of 
his majesty and his principal chiefs indicated the work in 
which they had been engaged. 

The government of Cape Coast Castle unfortunately did 
not ratify the treaty concluded by M. Dupuis, but under- 
took to support the Fantees in an attempt to throw off the 
Ashantee yoke. They were thus involved in hostilities 
with the latter people, whose sovereign, in January, 1824, 
entered Fantee with a force of 15,000 men. Sir Charles 
McCarthy, newly appointed governor, being ill-informed 
*s to the strength of the enemy, marched out to meet him 
8 



206 WESTERN AFRICA. 

with a force of scarcely a thousand British, supported by a 
crowd of cowardly and undisciplined auxiliaries. The two 
armies met near the boundary stream of" the Bossompra, 
where the English, soon deserted by their native allies in 
whose cause tbey had taken the field, maintained the con- 
test for some time with characteristic valour, till it was 
discovered, that through the negligence of the ordnance* 
keeper, the supply of powder was entirely exhausted. 

Thus deprived of (be uxc of firearms, tbey were unrounded 

by the immensely superior numbers of a warlike* and des- 
perate enemy, and after a. fearful contest, the particulars of 
Which never fully transpired, the whole army cither pe- 
rished on the field, or underwent the more cruel fate of 
captivity in the bands of this merciless foe. Only three 
officers, all of whom were wounded, brought the dreadful 

tale to Cape Coast Castle. The Ashantees then overran 

the whole open country, laid siege to I be castle, and pressed 
it closely for some months. Being repeatedly checked, 
however, and suffering under sickness and want of provi- 
sions, they retreated into their own country; nor has the 
king, distracted by the rebellion of some neighbouring 
states, ever since attempted to march down upon the coast, 
Captain Adams, in the course of a trading voyage along 
the African shore, visited Benin, the capital of which is 
situated on a. river coming from the north-east. The city is 
large, apparently containing about 15,000 inhabitants, and 
surrounded by a country extremely fertile, but not highly 

cultivated. The king of Benin is Fetiche, — worshipped by 

his subjects as a god, and must not on any account be sup- 
posed either to eat or sleep. Heresy against this creed is 
punished in the most prompt and summary manner, by 
instantly striking off the head of the unbeliever. With all 
his divine and royal attributes, bowever, the king does not 
disdain the occupation of a merchant, and drives a hard bar- 
gain while exchanging slaves and ivory for tobacco, which 
is a favourite luxury in this part of Africa. He is very ac- 
cessible to strangers, provided they spread before him as a 
present a handsome piece of red silk damask. Human sa- 
crifices are not practised to the same dreadful extent as in 
some other parts of Africa ; yet a considerable number ar« 
offered on the graves of their great men, and four annually 
at the mouth of the river, as an amulet to attract vessels 



SOUTHERN AFRICA. 207 

but such is the pestilential character of the climate, that 
this bloody charm brings now comparatively few slave-mer- 

chants to 1 Jen in. 

Captain Adams ascended also to Waree, an insular terri- 
tory, enclosed l>y two branches of another stream flowing 

through this alluvial district. It is beautiful as well as fer- 
tile, is about live miles in circuit, and appears as if it had 
dropped down from the cloudl ; lor all the surrounding 
shores consist of an impenetrable forest, rising out of a 
swamp. Even iu the dry season the water stands on the 

ground a foot in depth, producing exhalations which prove 
excessively destructive to the European constitution, as well 
as to all the more delicate plants and animals that happen 
to be removed from the drier soils of the interior. In other 
respects, this intelligent navigator did not make any mate- 
rial addition to the knowledge of Western Africa previously 
derived from other sources. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Southern and Eastern Africa. 

The southern extremity of Africa has long attracted the 
particular attention of modern navigators. To pass this 
mighty cape formed the main object of ambition with the 
Portuguese in their celebrated voyages of discovery along 
the African coast. After almost a century had been spent 
in successive endeavours to accomplish that undertaking, 
Diaz obtained a view of this great promontory ; but the 
stormy sky in which it was enveloped, and the fearful swell 
produced by the conflict of the contending oceans, appalled 
even that stout navigator. He named it the Cape of Tem- 
pests, and immediately returned with his shattered barks to 
Portugal. The king, with a bolder spirit, substituted forth- 
with the name of Cape of Good Hope, which it has ever 
«ince retained ; yet some years elapsed before the daring 
sails of Gama rounded this formidable barrier, and bore 
across the ocean to the golden shores of India. 

The Portuguese, engrossed by the discovery and conquest 



208 SOUTHERN AFRICA. 

of the kingdoms of the East, and busied in lading their ves- 
sels with the produce of those vast and opulent regions, 
scarcely deigned to cast an eye on the rude border of South- 
ern Africa, its terraces of granite, its naked Karroo plains, 
or the filthy and miserable kraals of the Hottentot. Their 
fleets, indeed, stopped occasionally for water and refresh- 
ments ; but no attempts were made to occupy, and still less 
to colonize, this barren and unpromising country. 

The Dutch, a prudent and calculating people, having 
pushed their way into the Indian seas, where they first 
rivalled and then supplanted the Portuguese, were not long 
in discovering the important advantage that might be de- 
rived from the Cape as a naval station. In 1650, they 
founded Cape Town, — a step which led to farther improve- 
ment ; for it thereby became necessary that supplies of grain 
and provisions should be drawn from the surrounding coun- 
try. When, moreover, it was discovered that on some 
neighbouring hills the vine could be reared in high perfec- 
tion, a new value was stamped upon the settlement. The 
natives, not then destitute of bravery, but ill-armed, undis- 
ciplined, and disunited, were easily driven back by the colo- 
nists, or reduced to an almost complete and hopeless bond • 
age ; and hence the country, for several hundred miles in 
every direction, so far as it afforded any herbage, was soon 
covered with extensive grazing farms under Dutch masters. 

Peter Kolben, who resided some years at the Cape, pub- 
lished a narrative, which, though it be liable to a few excep- 
tions, gives us by far the fullest account of the Hottentots, 
before that race was completely weighed down by Euro- 
pean oppression. This unfortunate tribe has become noted 
and almost proverbial for presenting man in his lowest es- 
tate, and under the closest alliance with the inferior orders 
of creation. It must, indeed, be admitted, that they take 
particular pains to render their external appearance the 
most hideous that the human body can possibly present. 
Grease is poured over their persons in copious streams, 
which, being exposed to the perpetual action of smoke, forms 
on their skin a black and shining cake, through which the 
native colour, a yellowish brown, is scarcely ever percepti- 
ble. Grease in Africa forms the chief distinction of rank,— 
the rich besmearing themselves with fresh butter, while the 
poorer classes are obliged to tear the fa* from the bowels e£ 



KOLBEN. 209 

slaughtered animals. They assign as a reason for this sin- 
gular practice an effect which has been readily admitted by 
judicious travellers, namely, that such a coating has in this 
climate a most salutary influence in defending them from 
the rays of the sun, and in averting many cutaneous dis- 
orders. Nature seems to have aided the task of disfiguring 
them, by covering the head with irregular tufts of hard and 
coarse hair, and causing s^fcilar prominences, composed 
of fat, to jut out in parts wBe they are least ornamental. 
Nor do their habits of life present any thing to redeem this 
outward deformity. Their kraals consist of a confused 
crowd of little conical hovels, composed of twigs and earth, 
in which large families sit and sleep, without having room 
to stand upright. The fire in the middle fills these man- 
sions with thick smoke, the floors of which are deeply co- 
vered with every species of filth. At festivals, when an ox 
or a sheep is killed, the Hottentots rip open the belly, tear 
out the entrails, which they throw on the coals, and feast on 
them before the animal is completely dead. Yet they are a 
friendly, merry, hospitable race, living together in the great- 
est affection and harmony. The sluggish and senseless 
stupidity with which they have been so generally taxed, 
seems to have been in a great measure produced by their 
degrading subjection to the Dutch boors. In their free 
state they had a republican form of polity, and konquers or 
captains of the kraal, who led them to war, which they car- 
ried on with extreme fury. This commander usually sounded a 
pipe or flageolet, during which his men fought without in- 
termission ; but as soon as the music ceased they began to 
retreat. The Hottentots direct their darts and throwing- 
sticks with a sure aim, surround and attack wild animals 
with skilLand vigour, and evade their springs with a dexte- 
rity which no European can equal. They tan, dress, and 
shape skins ; make mats of flags and bulrushes ; also twist 
strings for their bows out of the sinews of animals ; and 
even mould iron into cutting instruments with considerable 
expertness. In their free and happy state, they displayed 
the same passion for the dance and song which is general 
throughout Africa. A heavy reproach lies upon this race, 
as being destitute of all ideas of religion ; and the atheist 
has even boasted of them as an exception to that universal be- 
lief of mankind, which is urged against his unnatural tenet. 



210 SOUTHERN AFRICA. 

Supposing this assertion correct, such ignorance, which 
must have sprung from profound and stupid apathy, could 
not form any high authority on a subject so abstruse. But 
the fact itself, as in every similar case, has vanished before 
the light of more accurate observation. The Hottentot had 
neither temples, images, nor the pomp of a regular priest- 
hood ; but he believed in a supreme good Being, whom he 
viewed with distant adoratiorki^d also in a little deformed 
and malignant power, whomWI sought to pacify by gifts 
and sacrifices. He had the usual superstitions of unen- 
lightened men, hailing the new and full moon not only by 
offerings, but by shouts, cries, and dances, prolonged 
throughout the night. He attached a sacred character to 
certain woods, hills, and rivers, which he supposed haunted 
by departed friends or by the spirits of the ancient heroes 
of his tribe. Lastly, to come to the very lowest, the Hot- 
tentots had a little shining beetle which they had exalted 
almost into a deity. 

About the close of the last century, Southern Africa ex- 
cited a particular interest among the lovers of natural his- 
tory, from the brilliancy of its floral productions, and from 
those remarkable forms of the animal kingdom, which, 
though generally diffused over that continent, could be 
most safely and easily studied in the vicinity of the Cape. 
In 1778, Captain Henry Hope, who, under the authority 
of the Dutch government, had penetrated into the interior 
of the colony with a caravan of eighty-nine persons, pub- 
lished at Amsterdam a work containing plates of the giraffe 
or camelopard, the zebra, the hippopotamus, the gnu, and 
other animals then almost unknown in Europe. Soon 
after, the whole region was carefully surveyed by two emi- 
nent naturalists, first Sparrman, and then Le Vaillant,-— 
the one distinguished by sound sense and accurate observa- 
tion, the other by the splendid colouring which he suc- 
ceeded in throwing over the narrative of his personal ad- 
ventures. These travellers viewed with admiration the 
elegant forms of the giraffe and the zebra, the light shape 
and bright eye of the spring-bok, the most beautiful of an- 
telopes, and of which herds were seen covering these de- 
sert plains as far as the eye could reach. They were 
struck also with the odd shapes of the gnu and the qnagga, 
combining as it were, the most opposite natures. Sparr- 



BARROW. 211 

man's hifnts were not very successful : he gave chase re- 
peatedly to the gnu ; but that animal, by its swift bounds, 
eluded pursuit. Herds of zebras were seen only at a dis- 
tance ; and of all the hippopotami which he attacked, he 
could carry off only one, three weeks old. He made a full 
examination, however, of the rhinoceros and the quagga, 
and brought to Europe the first precise account of that 
wonderful and destructive insect, the termes or white ant. 
Le Vaillant, more fortunate, conveyed to France the skin 
of the giraffe, as well as that of a full-grown hippopo- 
tamus. He brought also a rich collection of birds, and 
many specimens of those beautiful and flowering shrubs 
which spring up only amid the sands of the African desert. 

Mr. Barrow, who, in 1797, while private secretary to 
Lord Macartney, made a tour through the Cape territory, 
communicated more important information than any of his 
predecessors, and exhibited for the first time a view of the 
social condition of this remote colony. He found the Hot- 
tentots reduced almost universally to the condition of 
slaves, not transferable indeed, but attached to the soil, and 
not on that account the better treated. Frequent use is 
made of a heavy leathern thong, the lashes inflicted with 
which are measured not by number but time. Connecting 
this punishment with his favourite luxury, the Dutchman 
orders the flogging of the culprit to continue while he him- 
self smokes a certain number of pipes. Even when a Hot- 
tentot engages for hire, the children born during this pe- 
riod of service are destined to become slaves. Nothing, in 
short, can more fully prove the cruel treatment of this un- 
fortunate race, than the fact, that they do not keep up their 
numbers, but are gradually disappearing : at present there 
are not supposed to be more than 15,000 in the colony. 
The few kraals of independent Hottentots, which still re- 
main on its outer border, may perhaps amount to 10,000. 

The Dutch planters or boors occupy lots of considerable 
extent, reaching usually to the extent of some miles in 
every direction ; yet the nearest neighbours are engaged in 
almost constant feuds respecting the boundaries of these 
vast possessions. Their dissensions must doubtless be 
greatly fomented by the mode of measuring land according 
to the number of steps employed in walking over it. There 
is indeed an official pacer (felt-wagt-meester), who receives 



212 • SOUTHERN AFRICA 

three dollars for every perambulation ; but this survey must 
always be more or less vague ; and he is alleged sometimes 
to take partial steps in support of a favourite claimant. 
The boor, absolute master of these wide domains, covers 
them with flocks and herds, the care of which he commits 
to his Hottentots, — obtaining thus the entire disposal of his 
own time, which he devotes to the most listless indolence. 
He makes neither milk nor butter ; nor does he produce 
either wine, fruits, or vegetables. The pipe never quits 
his mouth, except to take his sopie or glass of brandy, and 
to eat three meals of mutton soaked in the fat of the 
large-tailed sheep, without vegetables or even bread. The 
good lady of the house, equally disdainful of toil, remains 
almost as immoveable as the chair on which she sits, hav- 
ing before her a table, always covered with hot coffee. The 
daughters sit round with their hands folded, resembling ar- 
ticles of furniture rather than youthful and living beings, 
j$o diversion, no event, breaks the monotony of this insu- 
lated existence ; nor does knowledge for them ever " unrol 
her ample page." A schoolmaster, indeed, usually forms 
part of the establishment ; but as it is thought too much to 
maintain one for teaching only, he is expected to make 
himself useful in sundry other capacities. Mr. Barrow 
even saw one of this learned fraternity yoked in a plough. 
Amid such varied avocations, these sage instructers cannot 
be expected to convey to their pupils more than the mere 
elements of reading and writing. At the same time, hospi- 
tality knows scarcely any limits. With the exception of 
their nearest neighbours, with whom they are probably in- 
volved in boundary feuds, any person, from any quarter, is 
welcome. The stranger opens the door, shakes hands 
with the master, kisses the mistress, sits down, and makes 
himself completely at home. 

From Graaf-Reynet, at the eastern extremity of the co- 
lony, Mr. Barrow pushed forward without delay to the 
country of the GafFres, it being one main object of his journey 
to adjust some differences between that people and the Eu- 
ropean settlers. The first party he met after passing the 
boundary made the most favourable impression upon him. 
The females flocked and danced round the strangers, show- 
ing the utmost curiosity, and receiving with delight pre- 
sents of tobacco and brass buttons, yet never trespassing 



BARROW. 213 

on the limits of decorum. Their persons were somewhat 
short and stunted, and the skin of a dark glossy brown ; 
but the features were almost European, and their dark 
sparkling eyes bespoke vivacity and intelligence. The 
men, again, were the finest figures that the traveller had 
ever seen, considerably above the ' middle size, robust, and 
muscular, yet marked with the most elegant symmetry. 
Their deportment was easy, and their expression frank, 
generous, and fearless. In reply to the complaints which 
were made of their encroachments upon the territory of the 
colony, they asserted, and seemed to prove, that much 
greater encroachments had been made by the colonists 
themselves, and expressed their readiness to accede to any 
arrangement which might obviate future dissension, — stat- 
ing, however, that nothing could be done but through Gaika, 
the great king of the Caffres. The umpires immediately 
proceeded towards his residence, through a beautiful, but 
uncultivated, and somewhat entangled county. He was 
absent at the moment, employed in pursuing a band of 
wolves ; but his wife and mother, with fifty or sixty at- 
tendants, sat round the strangers, and conversed, through 
an interpreter, in the most agreeable manner. At length 
the monarch was seen approaching at full gallop, mounted 
on a handsome ox. Alighting from this singular charger, 
he graciously welcomed the strangers, and seating himself 
and his attendants under the shade of a mimosa, imme- 
diately entered upon business. He showed himself ex- 
tremely reasonable in every respect, declaring, that what- 
ever inroads had taken place on the frontier were without 
his knowledge or sanction, and he agreed at once to a code 
of regulations which might put an end to future aggression. 
It seems probable, indeed, that had the wise and conciliatory 
measures which Mr. Barrow suggested been steadily ad- 
hered to, all collision might have been avoided with this 
manly and warlike race. 

The Caffres are perhaps the most completely pastoral 
people in existence. Their agriculture is very limited, 
owing to their roaming mode of life. Game is scarce, and 
they make no use of their extensive line of seacoast for 
fishing ; but the management of cattle is thoroughly un- 
derstood, being carried on by the men, who not only tend 
but milk the cows, and who, by a particular modulation of 



214 SOUTHERN AFRICA. 

the voice, send out a herd to graze, or recall it at pleasure 
to the enclosures. A cow is never killed but on high occa- 
sions, milk, with roots, forming their standard diet. Skill 
is shown in several arts, such as making baskets of grass, 
sharpening iron by stones, without being able to smelt it, 
and dressing calf-skins For their apparel. Polygamy is 
lawful ; but as a wife costs an ox, or two cows, the practice 
is confined to the rich. 

After returning to Graaf-Reynet, Mr. Barrow passed across 
the Great Karroo, or desert, covered with scanty and useless 
vegetation, yet presenting spring-boks, ostriches, and other 
wild animals, which roam in large herds, and the most 
beautiful flowers, which spring up amid the sand. He then 
came to the borders of the Sneuwberg, or Snowy Moun- 
tains, the streams from which cover an extensive district 
with luxuriant herbage. The colonists there are kept in a 
state of greater activity than elsewhere, by the dread of 
wild beasts, and of the still wilder race of Bosjesman Hot* 
tentots, whose kraals occupy the intermediate valleys. 
They pursue and hunt down these unhappy creatures, as 
if they were the natural enemies of the human race. Mr. 
Barrow mentions a young fellow who had made a journey 
along part of that mountain-range ; and on his return, being 
asked if. he had seen many Bosjesmans, replied, with a 
disappointed air, that he had only shot four. These savages, 
in their turn, carry off all the cattle they can find, and put 
to a cruel death every one who falls into their hands, whe-» 
ther he be Dutch or Hottentot. Each party throws upon 
the other the blame of this mutual hostility. Mr. Barrow 
took some pains to acquire information respecting that un* 
fortunate race. His party having succeeded in surprising a 
kraal, the natives sprung out of their little mat-huts with 
cries resembling the war-whoop of savages, and flew to the 
top of a neighbouring hill. From inveterate habit it was 
impossible to prevent some bloodshed ; but at length, by 
persevering kindness, several were induced to come for- 
ward and hold communication with the English. They 
proved to be the ugliest of human beings. Their hollow 
backs, projecting bellies, and prominent posteriors, caused 
the body to assume nearly the form of the letter S, which, 
though by some painters described as constituting the line 
of beauty, produces, in its application to the human shape, 



TRUTTER AND SOMERVILLE. 215 

an effect very strikingly the reverse. In their condition, 
too, they are, of all rational beings, perhaps the most for- 
lorn and wretched. Their only mode of obtaining food is by 
scrambling over the rocks after wild animals, digging the 
earth for some unsavoury roots, devouring the larvae of 
ants and locusts, and, finally, in wild foray, carrying off 
the cattle from the adjoining plains. Yet the habits arising 
from this precarious subsistence create a degree of energy 
which does not arise when man slumbers in the lap of ease 
and abundance. Hence, this people indulge even in an ex- 
travagant gayety, which forms a striking contrast to the 
gloomy dejection of the enslaved Hottentots. On moon- 
light nights they dance without intermission from sunset 
till dawn ; and, on the prospect of fine weather, sometimes 
continue this exercise for several days and nights. Their 
tittle arrows, tipped with poison, are shot with surprising dex- 
terity ; and the warriors bound from rock to rock with an 
agility which baffles all European pursuit. They endure long 
fasts, which render their bodies usually very lank and meager ; 
but when they make a capture of cattle or sheep, they 
devour the flesh in a disgusting manner, and in the most 
amazing quantities. Mr. Barrow having given to three of 
them a sheep about five in the evening, saw it entirely con- 
sumed by twelve next day, when their formerly lank, lean 
bellies were distended to an extraordinary size. The pic- 
tures of animals, drawn on the rocks with no inconsiderable 
spirit and correctness, showed at least the rudiments of art 
and talent. 

The knowledge of Europeans respecting the Cape terri- 
tory had hitherto been confined by the Karroo Desert, and 
the formidable range of the Sneuwberg beyond it. In 
1801, a scarcity of cattle being felt, Messrs. Trutter and 
Somerville undertook an expedition, with the view of ob- 
taining a supply in some of the more remote districts. 
Having passed the Snow mountain and the country of the 
Bosjesmans, they came to the Orange river, a broad stream 
flowing westward to the Atlantic, and on the banks of which 
were the Koras or Koranas, a pastoral people with numerous 
herds. The information here received induced them to 
proceed into the country of the Boshuanas, which continued 
to improve as they advanced, till, to their utter surprise, in 
the midst of these savage- wildernesses of Southern Africa, 



216 SOUTHERN AFRICA. 

they found a regular city. Lattakoo was composed of two 
or three thousand houses, neatly and commodiously built, 
well enclosed and shaded from the sun by spreading 
branches of the mimosa. The country around was not 
only covered with numerous herds, but showed considerable 
signs of cultivation. The king, a venerable old man, in- 
vited them to his house, and introduced them to his two 
wives. The travellers met every where a kind and hos- 
pitable reception, and were the objects of an eager but 
friendly curiosity. Their report, in fact, encouraged the 
idea that the golden age had once more revived in the 
centre of Africa. 

The Cape government afterward undertook to follow up 
this discovery. Lord Caledon sent Dr. Cowan and Lieu- 
tenant Denovan, at the head of a party of twenty men, with 
instructions to strike across the continent in a south-eastern 
direction, and by endeavouring to reach Mozambique, to 
connect the two great points of African geography. The 
travellers passed Lattakoo, and accounts were received 
from them nearly eleven days' journey beyond it, when they 
were in the midst of a richer and more beautiful country 
than they had yet seen in Southern Africa. A long and 
anxious interval had elapsed, when the governor sent a fast- 
sailing vessel to Sofala and Mozambique, the captain of 
which was informed that the expedition had come to a most 
disastrous issue. It was stated that the party, having ar- 
rived in the dominions of the king of Zaire, between Inham- 
bane and Sofala, had been attacked in the night, and all cut 
to pieces, with the exception of two individuals. Mr. 
Campbell was afterward assured, that the catastrophe had 
taken place among the Wanketzens, a nation immediately 
beyond Lattakoo, where the travellers, trusting to the 
friendly behaviour and professions of the people, had ne- 
glected the most common precautions. The officers went 
to bathe, leaving one party in charge of the wagons, and 
another to guard the cattle. Thus split into three divisions, 
they were successively attacked and destroyed by the trea 
cherous barbarians. 

Dr. Henry Lichtenstein, after surveying several of the 
Cape districts, extended his journey to the territory of this 
newly-discovered people, accompanied by one of the natives, 
named Kok, who had been for some time absent from his 



LICHTENSTEIN. 217 

country. The first party whom they met accosted them 
with such demonstrations of kindness and cordiality, as 
impressed our traveller with the most favourable opinion 
of their character, and relieved some apprehensions under 
which he had laboured. The inhabitants, too, of the first 
village at which they arrived received them in a manner 
quite frank and hospitable, though they showed rather an 
excessive eagerness to obtain a supply of tobacco. Cross- 
ing the river Kuruhman, and proceeding by a winding path 
through a noble forest, they reached Lattakoo. The cu- 
riosity excited by their arrival soon attracted a crowd so 
immense, as to make it impossible for the wagons to pro- 
ceed ; but still the multitude appeared to be animated by 
the most friendly sentiments. The venerable old king next 
appeared, and promised to pay them an early visit. On a 
pipe of tobacco being presented, he began to inhale the 
smoke by large drafts, and after being satisfied, handed it 
to his prime minister, who transmitted it to the next in dig- 
nity ; thus it passed from mouth to mouth, till it reached 
the lowest of the attendants. The king afterward intro- 
duced the Doctor to his two wives, of whom the principal 
one, Makaitshoah, dazzled him by the beauty which had 
raised her from a low degree to the station that she now 
occupied. She was loaded with a profusion of African 
finery, — a mantle trimmed with rich furs, and fastened to 
the shoulder by a bundle of cats' tails, sundry necklaces of 
bone, copper, and coral, and on one arm no less than 
seventy-two copper rings, on which she seemed to set the 
highest value ; she displayed, and saw them counted with 
peculiar delight. The ladies paid a very long visit, but 
showed little regard for tea, which was at first presented as 
most suitable to their rank and sex ; while wine, and more 
especially brandy, were highly relished by them. In the 
course of a long conversation, the lot of European wives, 
in having each a husband to herself, became, as usual, the 
favourite theme ; but Makaitshoah, though she approved 
of the system in general, thought that in Africa, where 
the waste of war was so great, polygamy, to a certain ex- 
tent, was necessary to keep up the numbers of the nation. 

Dr. Lichtenstein had intended to proceed considerably 
farther into the interior ; but his views were changed, by a 
proposal earnestly pressed upon him by the king to accom- 
T 



218 SOUTHERN AFRICA. 

pany, and assist with his firearms, an expedition which 
his majesty was about to undertake against his neighbour 
Makkrakka. Finding that he could not remain without in- 
volving himself in the deadly feuds of these African chiefs, 
he chose rather to return to the colony. 

Mr. John Campbell, animated by the benevolent desire 
of imparting to this people the blessings of true religion, 
undertook, in 1813, a mission into Southern Africa. Pass- 
ing the Sneuwberg in the same direction that had been fol- 
lowed by Messrs. Trutter and Somerville, he reached Lat- 
takoo, which, by a change not unusual in Africa, had been 
moved about sixty miles to the southward of its original 
situation ; but the new city had not yet attained more than 
half the dimensions of the old. His reception was at first 
marked by a peculiar caution and jealousy. Not a sound 
was heard in the city ; and he walked through empty 
streets till he came to the great square in front of the palace, 
where several hundred men were drawn up armed and in 
battle array. All this precaution was found to have been 
suggested by the fear that he and his companions were sent 
to avenge the death of Dr. Cowan and Mr. Denovan ; but 
no sooner were the inhabitants satisfied that he came with 
no commission from government, and with no hostile object, 
than they crowded round him with their usual frankness, 
and eagerly begged for tobacco. Soon after, Mateebe, the 
king, entered with a numerous train of attendants, bearing 
spears tipped with ostrich feathers. He did not, in pass- 
ing, take any notice of the English strangers, but imme- 
diately after admitted them to an interview, though without 
giving them quite so gracious a reception as they could 
have wished. He particularly demurred to the proposal 
of founding a mission at Lattakoo, on the ground or pre- 
tence that it would interfere with the tending of their cattle 
and other occupations ; but this being Mr. Campbell's fa- 
vourite object, he pressed it so earnestly, and represented, 
in such flattering terms, the superior wealth and industry 
of Europeans, that Mateebe at length gave his consent to 
the establishment of missionaries, and promised to treat 
them well. 

Mr. Campbell's observations finally dissipated all that yet 
remained of the original illusion, which had represented 
this people as enjoying at once the innocence and the 



CAMPBELL. 219 

felicity of the primitive ages. There was, indeed, as not un- 
frequently happens in uncivilized life, a courteous, kind, 
and friendly spirit towards one another. But between 
neighbouring tribes the enmity is as deadly, and the laws 
and practices of war as barbarous, as among the rudest of 
African hordes. The missionary, with the view of paving 
the way for religious instruction, having asked one of them 
what was the chief end of man, received an immediate an- 
swer, " For commandos," — the term by which they express 
their raids or forays undertaken for the purpose of stealing 
cattle. With the profit of carrying off the herds, they seek 
also to combine the glory of killing the warriors to whom 
they belong. The number of men whom they have slain 
forms their chief boast ; in which estimate they reckon one 
white equal to two blacks. 

In 1820, Mr. Campbell, supported by the Missionary So- 
ciety, undertook another journey into this district of Africa. 
He found the Christian establishment at Lattakoo in a 
somewhat flourishing state. There was a chapel capable 
of containing about 400 persons, and a row of good houses 
with gardens for the missionaries. But the friendly con- 
duct of the natives towards that body had not been accom- 
panied with any disposition to embrace, or even to listen to 
their doctrines. The Boshuanas, more perhaps than any 
other barbarians, seem to labour under a peculiar thraldom 
to the senses, and an utter disregard for all lofty and spi- 
ritual ideas. Beads for ornament, cattle for use, com- 
mandos or forays for the display of valour and activity, ab- 
sorb their whole attention, and leave no room for any 
higher objects. The number assembled to see the mis- 
sionaries dine was three times greater than could ever be 
induced to convene to hear them preach. 

At Lattakoo Mr. Campbell met Kossie, king or chief of 
Mashow, and obtained permission to visit him, which, 
though expressed in rather cold and haughty terms, his zeal 
induced him to embrace. The road lay through a delight- 
ful country, consisting neither, like most parts of the Cape 
territory, of a naked desert, nor, like some others, of an im- 
penetrable forest, but of a boundless meadow of luxuriant 
pasture, interspersed with numerous clumps of trees, „ ap- 
pearing at a distance like a continued wood, but gradually 
opening as he approached hese fertile plains axe 



220 SOUTHERN AFRICA. 

tenanted only by a few roving Bushmen ; for so incessant 
and destructive are the wars carried on, even among the 
Boshuanas themselves, that they are obliged to concentrate 
in the immediate vicinity of their towns. Of these, the first 
they came to was Meribohwey, the capital of a chief named 
Tammahoo, where the warriors rushed forth to meet them 
dressed in the skins of wild beasts, painted red, and furi- 
ously brandishing their spears and battle-axes, — rather an 
astounding welcome to the worthy missionaries, though it 
was found to be all meant in kindness. They came next 
to Mashow, beautifully situated on a hill surrounded by a 
number of lesser eminences. Within a circuit of twenty 
miles there were twenty-nine villages, with an almost un- 
interrupted cultivation. The inhabitants are estimated at 
10,000 or 12,000, and their houses and modes of life are 
somewhat superior to those of Lattakoo. 

From Mashow Mr. Campbell passed through a country 
continually improving in richness and beauty, and inter- 
sected by several streams that appeared to direct their 
course to the Indian Ocean. At length he reached Kuree- 
chane, which is thought entitled to the appellation of a 
city ; and, at all events, its construction, and the arts 
practised in it, were decidedly superior to any thing yet 
seen in Southern Africa. The natives smelted iron and 
copper in large clay furnaces ; their houses were sur- 
rounded with good stone-enclosures ; while the walls of 
mud were often painted, and moulded into pillars and other 
ornaments. Well-fashioned vessels of earthenware were 
used for holding their corn, milk, and other stores ; and 
considerable ingenuity was shown in the preparation of 
skins. A certain extent of land, immediately round the 
town, was under cultivation, while a larger portion beyond 
was devoted to pasturage ; but it was necessary that the 
cattle should every night be brought within the protection 
of the town. 

At Kureechane Mr. Campbell witnessed, on the largest 
scale, the peetso or African council, where the assembled 
chiefs act so extravagantly, yet speak with so much judg- 
ment, as makes it difficult to say whether they are sages 
m madmen. Even in their way to the meeting these 
ravages indulge in strange gambols, making immense leaps 
into the air, brandishing their weapons, as if to attack and 



BURCHELL. 221 

sometimes to stab an enemy. The circle being formed, 
they ail join in a song, which the principal person often 
follows with a dance. Each chief, as he rises, prefaces 
his speech with three tremendous howls or yells, sometimes 
imitating the bark of a dog. Several of his attendants 
then spring forward and dance before him, — an accompa- 
niment never omitted, even when the age and stiffened 
limbs of the performers render it altogether ludicrous. At 
length comes the speech, replete with frankness, courage, 
often with good sense, and even with a rude species of elo- 
quence. On some occasions the speakers do not hesitate 
to pour the severest reproaches on the king, who retorts 
with bitterness, but never resents in any other shape. The 
females, meantime, stand behind, and take an eager interest 
in the debate, — cheering those whose sentiments they ap- 
.-. prove, or bursting into loud laughter at any that they con- 
sider ridiculous. 

Mr. Campbell, on his return, took a direction somewhat 
to the westward, and found himself on the borders of an 
immense desert, which he thinks may be called the Southern 
Sahara. A party engaged in a plundering expedition 
were said to have spent two months in reaching Mampoor, 
its opposite extremity, which was found situated on the 
ocean. His conclusion, however, that this desert reaches 
nearly to the equator is very hasty, since the route which 
he mentions evidently extended, in a great measure, from 
east to west. 

Mr. Burchell, in 1812, made a pretty extensive journey 
through this part of Africa. He did not reach quite so far 
as his predecessor ; and the account of his progress beyond 
Lattakoo has not yet appeared. At that city he spent a 
considerable time ; and his diligent observations of nature 
and society, animated by a fine vein of philosophical re- 
flection, give n considerable interest to his narrative. 

That rude equality which had been remarked among all 
the tribes of the Hottentot race was found here giving 
way to very marked distinctions, chiefly supported by 
wealth, which those in power sought the means of in- 
creasing, in their incessant wars and plunder ; yet their 
dignity is not accompanied with that haughty separation 
from the inferior classes which exists in Europe. Mateebe, 
called here Mattivi, .chief or king, used to squat himself 
T 2 



222 SOUTHERN AFRICA. 

on the ground, chatting and exchanging pipes with the lowest 
of his people. Although, of course, their manners can 
boast no great refinement, they are neither boisterous nor 
vulgar ; but a frank and easy deportment distinguishes all 
classes. Industry is held in honour ; the chiefs tend and 
even milk the cows, while the women build the houses, cul- 
tivate the ground, and prepare clothes and furniture. On 
one occasion they gave good proof of their honesty ; for, 
when the traveller's cattle had run away and mingled with 
immense herds of their own, they sought them out and 
brought them back to him. In begging, however, they are 
most ceaseless and importunate. At Mr. BurchelPs first 
entrance they observed a certain degree of ceremony, and 
only one solitary cry for tobacco was heard ; but this feel- 
ing of delicacy or decorum soon gave way. Mattivi himself 
made a private request that the presents intended for him 
should not be seen by the people at large, by whom they 
would soon be all begged away. They seemed to have more 
pride in what they procured by solicitation than in a thing 
of greater value if received as a spontaneous gift. There 
was hardly any appearance of police ; even murder passed 
with impunity, though among themselves it was not fre- 
quent. They had no temples, and nothing which Mr. Bur- 
chell thinks can be called religious worship ; but, in return, 
they had every form of superstition, which is generally the 
sole substitute for religion in unenlightened societies. 

The last visiter to Lattakoo was Mr. Thompson, who, in 
1823, found that city in a state of great danger and alarm. 
Rumours poured in of an immense host of black warriors 
coming from the north and the east, who were said to be 
plundering and destroying every thing before them. They 
had already sacked Kureechane ; and being repulsed from 
Melita, capital of the Wanketzens, were marching directly 
upon Old Lattakoo. whence, it was apprehended, they would 
advance to the modern city. It was added that they were 
cannibals, and were led by a giantess with one eye ; but, 
amid all this exaggeration and falseho )d, the reality of the 
danger was undoubted. The Boshuanas immediately sum- 
moned a peetso, and formed the manly resolution of going 
out to meet the invader ; but all who knew them were aware 
that they would fight only by ambuscade and under cover, 
and would take to flight as soon as the enemy should make 



THOMPSON. 223 

& serious attack. The missionaries, in this extremity, 
made great exertions to save the nation. One of them 
hastened back to implore the aid of the Griquas, a people 
bordering on the English colony, and who had learned the 
use of firearms from the Europeans. Mr. Thompson and 
another went out to trace and report the progress of this 
formidable inroad. On reaching Old Lattakoo they found 
it silent and uninhabited, like the most desolate wilderness ; 
while the pots boiling on the fires showed that its desertion 
was recent, and that the enemy were probably at a very 
short distance. Notwithstanding, they continued to ride 
on, till, arriving at the top of a hill, their guide cried out, 
"the Mantatees !" who were in fact seen moving in an im- 
mense mass along the valley beneath. It was necessary 
to put spurs to their horses, in order to escape the hazard 
of being surrounded. 

The arrival of Mr. Thompson at Lattakoo" spread a ge- 
neral alarm ; for so rapid was the Mantatee march, that 
only a little time could elapse before they would reach the 
city. The queen, with her female attendants and the prin- 
cipal chiefs, rushed into the house to ask the advice of the 
missionaries in this fearful crisis. The general opinion 
was in favour of flight. Even the warriors, who had been 
poisoning their arrows and dancing the war-dance whole 
nights without intermission, gave up all hopes of success- 
ful resistance, and were preparing to follow the long files 
of oxen, on which the inhabitants were already placing 
their most valuable effects. Suddenly a cloud of dust was 
seen in the south, which, on its nearer approach, announced 
the first division of Griqua horse coming to their aid. 
Hereupon, all who were endued with any portion of cou- 
rage determined to remain and face the enemy. The allies 
were received with unbounded exultation ; many oxen 
were killed and roasted, and even at this critical moment 
the two parties gave themselves up to feasting and jollity. 
Their security increased, when notice was received that the 
Mantatees still remained at Old Lattakoo, consuming the 
cattle and provisions which they had found in that place. 
Several of the missionaries then set out to endeavour to 
open a negotiation. On coming within sight of the enemy 
they rode forward in a peaceful manner, inviting them by 
signs to a conference ; when instantly that savage host 



324 SOUTHERN AFRICA. 

jhaised a hideous yell, and rushed forward so rapidly, throw- 
ing their spears and clubs, that the Christian plenipoten- 
tiaries found the utmost difficulty in galloping out of their 
reach. 

The allied force now came up, and on the following 
morning offered battle to the vast army of the Mantatees. 
Their aspect was truly frightful. They were almost quite 
Mack, with only a girdle round their loins ; their heads 
were crowned with plumes of ostrich feathers ; they had 
numerous brass rings about their neck and legs, and were 
armed with spears, javelins, battle-axes, and clubs. Their 
whole body, which was supposed to amount to at least 
40,000, rushed forward in an extended line, endeavouring 
to enclose the little troop opposed to them. The Boshu- 
anas gave way as soon as they were seriously attacked ; 
the Griquas, on the contrary, kept up a close fire, which 
stunned the enemy, who still, however, continued to ad- 
vance. The horsemen galloped back to some distance, then 
alighted, and again alternately fired and retreated, repeating 
this manoeuvre for several miles. The Mantatees pressed 
on with the utmost fury, confident, if they could once come 
to close quarters, of annihilating in an instant the handful 
of troops opposed to them ; but finding that all their efforts 
w r ere vain, and seeing their bravest w T arriors falling rapidly, 
they paused, and began slowly to retire. The Griquas 
pursued, but were several times exposed to extreme danger 
by the enemy turning suddenly round and renewing the 
combat. At length the Mantatees set fire to Lattakoo, and 
retreated through the flames. The missionaries were now 
deeply shocked by the base and barbarous conduct of the 
Boshuanas, who, after their pusillanimous behaviour in the 
field, began not only to plunder, but to butcher the wounded 
as well as the women and children left on the field ; nor 
was it without great difficulty that they succeeded in saving 
some of these defenceless objects. 

The name Mantatee, which signifies wanderer, applies, 
ft is said, in no other respect to this desolating horde. They 
appear to be a Caffre tribe, inhabiting the country near 
Cape Natal, along the lower course of the river Mapoota. 
They were impelled to this inroad, in consequence of having 
been driven from their own possessions by the Zoolas, a still 
more fierce and warlike rare, who, on that occasion, were 




Queen of Lattakoo, Lattakoo Warrior, and two Bosjesman 
Hottentots.— [p. 225. J 



EASTERN AFRICA. 225 

led to victory by their king, Chaka, who can arm 100,000 
fighting men, and has 15,000 constantly ready for war. A 
small English settlement has been formed on his maritime 
border, which is encouraged by that powerful chief with a 
view to commercial advantages ; but of course much pre- 
caution is required in dealing with a potentate who com- 
mands so many savage bows and spears. 

The Mantatees, after their defeat, separated into several 
detachments, one of which settled among the Kureechanes, 
while another advanced against the Caffres, whom they-de- 
feated, and part of whose territory they have since continued 
to occupy and plunder. In 1826, they came within two 
days' journey of the British frontier, where there was 
nothing to prevent them from advancing upon the Scotch 
locations in Albany ; but measures have since been taken, by 
which these settlements are placed in full security.* 

We possess only a very limited knowledge respecting the 
eastern coast of Africa, washed by the Indian Ocean, — a re- 
gion scarcely visited except by the Portuguese, who con- 
tinued to throw a veil of mystery over all their discoveries. 
In 1498, when Vasco de Gama had rounded the Cape of 
Good Hope, he touched at Mozambique, Mombasa, and Me- 
linda, where he found the ruling people Arabs and bigoted 
Mohammedans. His object was merely to obtain pilots to 
guide his fleet to India ; but at the two former of these 
ports he met an inhospitable and treacherous reception ; 
while, on the other hand, he experienced at Melinda the ut- 
most courtesy, and readily found the means of continuing 
his voyage to the coast of Malabar. Cabral, who followed 
in the footsteps of Gama, likewise visited Quiloa, which he 
describes as the capital of an extensive kingdom, and the 
i seat of a flourishing trade ; but it was not till he, too, 
reached Melinda, that he could obtain any friendly as- 
sistance. 

The Portuguese, engrossed for some time with the more 
brilliant objects presented by the shores of India, sought in 
African ports only refreshment and pilots, and made no at- 
tempt at conquest. As their empire, however, extended, 
resentment or ambition furnished motives foi successively 
attacking those settlements. In 1505, Almeda, indignant 

* The group in the annexed plate represents the Queen of Lattakoo, a 
Lattakoo warrior, and two Bosjesman Hottentots. 



226 EASTERN AFRICA. 

at the reception given to him at Quiloa and Mombasa, landed 
and took possession of both these cities. In 1508, permis- 
sion was obtained to erect a fort at Mozambique, by means 
of which the Portuguese soon expelled the Arabs, and be- 
came complete masters of the town. Attracted by its vici- 
, nity to the gold mines, and its convenience as a place of re- 
freshment for their fleets, they made it the capital of their 
possessions in Eastern Africa. Melinda also, which had 
long shown such a friendly disposition to Europeans, be- 
came at last unable to endure the insulting spirit of the 
Mohammedans ; a quarrel arose, and that city was added to 
the dominion of the Portuguese. They were now masters 
of an immense range of coast, fully 2000 miles in length, 
on which they held all the principal positions, though 
without extending their sway to any distance into the in- 
terior. 

About 1569, the Portuguese made two vigorous attempts, 
under Nugnez Barreto and Vasco Fernandez, to advance 
into the country behind Mozambique, chiefly with the view 
of reaching the mines of gold, the produce of which was 
brought in considerable quantities down the Zambese to 
Sofala. They penetrated a considerable way up the river, 
on the banks of which they erected the forts of Sena and 
Tete. Its upper course was found overhung by steep and 
precipitous rocks, belonging to the mountainous range of 
Lupala, which here crosses its channel. They arrived at 
Zimbao, the capital of Quiteve, or king of Motapa, and even 
at the gold mines of Manica ; bat, instead of the expected 
profusion of this precious metal, they found that, as in other 
parts of Africa, it was laboriously extracted in small quan- 
tities from the extraneous substances in which it is imbed- 
ded. On this expedition they had frequent encounters with 
the natives, who were always beaten in the field ; but the 
Europeans were so harassed by long marches, and by the 
scarcity of provisions, that they finally returned in a very 
exhausted state, and without having been able to establish 
any permanent dominion over that vast extent of country. 

As the energy of the Portuguese government declined, its 
sway over these colonies was reduced within limits which 
always became narrower. In 1631, the people of Mom- 
basa rose, made a general massacre of the Europeans, and 
re-established their independence. About' the end of the 



SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA 227 

seventeenth century, the imam of Mascat, a powerful Ara- 
bian prince, drove them out of Melinda and Quiloa. Their 
possessions are now confined to Mozambique and Sofala, 
and are maintained even there on a very reduced scale. The 
former of these stations, when visited by Mr. Salt in 1808, 
was found to contain less than 3000 inhabitants, of whom 
only 500 were Portuguese ; and the fortifications were in 
so neglected a state, that an Arabian chief assured the tra- 
veller that with 100 stout followers he could drive the sub- 
jects of Portugal out of this capital of Eastern Africa. 
Yet the government-house, in its interior arrangements, still 
exhibits some remains of the ancient splendour of the vice- 
roys. The entertainment of tea, which is open every eve- 
ning to all the respectable inhabitants, is set out in a service 
of pure gold ; and the negroes in attendance are absolutely 
loaded with ornaments of that metal. Mozambique has 
still a pretty considerable commerce in gold, ivory, and 
slaves, brought down from the regions of the Upper Zam- 
bese. These captives, since Britain shut against them the 
markets of the Cape of Good Hope and Mauritius, have 
been, to the number of about 4000 in the year, sent chiefly 
to Brazil. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

On the Social Condition of Africa, 

Having commenced this work by a general survey of 
Africa as it came from Nature's hand, we shall conclude 
with taking a rapid sketch of the changes made by man, — 
the societies formed on its immense surface ; its arts, its in- 
dustry, its social and moral existence ; noticing, finally, the 
few attempts which Britain has made to establish colonies 
on that continent. 

A grand distinction must here be made between the na- 
tive inhabitants of Africa and the foreign races from Arabia 
and other Asiatic countries, by whom so large a portion of 
its surface has been occupied. This distinction we shall 



228 SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 

rest, not upon supposed resemblances of form and figure^ 
or faint analogies between the language of distant nations, 
but upon the introduction, within the limits of authentic 
history, of a people, manners, and religion belonging to 
another continent. The changes now mentioned were 
effected, in a great measure, by the inroads of the Arabs or 
Saracens, and afterward by the conquests of the Turks, — - 
events which have diffused over the northern half of Africa 
a social system every way different from that of the tribes 
by whom it was formerly inhabited. We shall begin, how- 
ever, with considering the native races who at present peo- 
ple this quarter of the globe. 

The native tribes of Africa exist generally in that stage 
of society which is denominated barbarian. They are ele- 
vated above the hunting or savage state, by the power of 
taming and subjecting the lower animals, and by a certain 
rude agriculture which the fertility of the soil renders pro- 
ductive. Yet few of them are nomadic and wandering like 
the Arabs or the Tartars : they generally have native seats, 
to which they cling with strong feelings of local attach- 
ment. Even the tenants of the Desert, who roam widely 
in quest of commerce and plunder, have their little watered 
valleys, or circuit of hills, in which they make their perma- 
nent abode. 

Agriculture, including pasturage, forms the most im- 
portant branch of industry in every society, and more espe- 
cially in one where all the finer arts are yet in a state of in- 
fancy. In Africa, however, both the extent of cultivation 
and the processes employed are still extremely imperfect. 
This is particularly manifest from the fact that no private 
property in land has been any where established. Every 
city or village is encircled by an unoccupied domain of 
forest or waste, belonging to the king or the state, and of 
which a portion is ready to be granted to any one who will 
undertake the labour and expense of cultivation ; while the 
remainder forms an immense common, on which all the in- 
habitants have the liberty of pasturing their cattle. There 
are in Africa no country-seats, no rural farms, such as em- 
bellish the aspect of an European landscape ; and which, in 
fact, could not exist in safety, where each little state is be- 
girt with hostile neighbours, and so many predatory bands 
are prowling in every direction. The population is col- 



SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 229 

lected m towns or large villages, round which a circle of 
cultivation is formed ; while beyond are pasture-lands 
where numerous herds are fed, and watched by day as well 
as by night. The space within the walls forms a pretty 
wide district, where, even in the largest cities, the houses 
are interspersed with cultivated fields, and the low roofs 
are seen rising behind ears of corn. All the processes of 
preparing the ground, sowing, and reaping, are slight and 
simple. The plough has not passed the limits of Barbary ; 
and perhaps, in tropical climates, the deep furrow which it 
lays open might expose the soil too much to the parching 
effects of a burning sun. Grain is raised only by means 
of the most profuse moisture, which of itself softens the 
earth. As soon as the periodical floods have deluged the 
ground, or the temporary river inundation has retired, the 
labourers walk forth ; one slightly stirs the earth with a 
hoe, while another, close behind, deposites the grain. Fre- 
quently this toil is lightened, from being performed by the 
whole village in common, when it appears less a scene of 
labour than a gay festival, like our English period of reap- 
ing. The village musician plays the most lively airs ; the 
labourers keep time to his tune ; and a spectator at a little 
distance would suppose them to be dancing instead of 
working. Irrigation, in all tropical climates, is the grand 
source of fertility ; and wherever industry has made any 
progress, very considerable pains are taken to collect and 
distribute the waters, which either fall in rain, or are con- 
veyed by river channels. Egypt is well known to owe its 
fertility altogether to the canals which diffuse over its 
plains the water of the Nile ; and in Nubia, where the 
current remains constantly sunk in its rocky bed, there is a 
succession of sakies or wheels, by which it is raised, and 
conducted over the adjoining fields. In this way a belt of 
cultivation, of about a mile in breadth, is perpetuated along 
the whole upper course of that great river. 

In all the tropical and more arid regions, the prevailing 
grains are of inferior character, coarse, and small, — rather, 
as Jobson says, like seeds than grains, and fitted less for 
bread than for paste or pottage. The dhourra is the most com- 
mon, extending over all Eastern Africa ; while millet in the 
west, and teff in Abyssinia,- are productions nearly similar. 
In the latter country and Houssa, both wheat and rice are 
U 



230 SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 

raised, but only in favourable situations, and for the tables 
of the more opulent. Perhaps the greatest exertion of 
agricultural industry is that bestowed upon the culture of 
the manioc, which forms the main article of food in Congo 
and some of the insular territories. Considerable care is- 
required in rearing it, and cleaning the ground round the 
plants ; after the root, which is the valuable part, has been 
dug up, it must be ground in a species of mill, and dried in 
small furnaces, before it can be used as flour. The process- 
is represented in the accompanying plate. 

Manufactures, in a country where men are contented 
with the simplest accommodations, cannot attain any high 
importance. There are, however, certain fine fabrics pe- 
culiar to Central Africa; of which the most general is 
cotton cloth, produced in several districts of a very beauti- 
ful texture, dyed blue with fine indigo, and receiving from 
the processes employed a very brilliant gloss. Leather in 
Houssa is dressed and dyed in the same rich and soft style 
as in Morocco ; and probably, in both cases, the manufac- 
ture is native. Mats, used both for sitting and sleeping on, 
are the staple manufacture in many parts of Western 
Africa. Gold and silver ornaments are made with some 
taste ; and iron is generally fabricated, though with a vary- 
ing and imperfect degree of skill. 

The tribes of Africa have scarcely in any instance ar- 
rived at the first rudiments of maritime commerce. The 
circuit of that continent presents no spacious inlets of the 
sea, — no deep bays to cherish the growth of infant naviga- 
tion. Even the great lines of river-course are little if at 
all subservient to the purposes of inland communication, 
but are often so situated as to obstruct the career of the 
traveller, who crosses them in canoes hollowed out of a 
single tree, or on slight and dangerous rafts. Almost all 
the commerce of Africa is carried on by land. Caravans, 
kafilas, or coffles, cover all the routes, and connect the most 
distant extremities of the continent. These are formed by 
a union of travellers, an arrangement strictly necessary for 
mutual aid amid the difficulties and perils by which almost 
every track is beset. The native traders do not employ 
camels, which have been introduced by a foreign race from 
Arabia into the northern deserts, for which they are per- 
fectly adapted. The wagon, and indeed every species of 




N egroes'preparing the Manioc Root.-[p. 230/ 



SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 231 

draught, is nearly unknown, and would be ill suited to the 
African roads, the best of which are narrow paths cut 
through thick and entangled forests. In the hilly and 
central districts, either the back of asses, or the head of 
slaves and women, serves as the ordinary vehicle. 

The largest branch of the native trade of Africa origin- 
ates in the great demand for salt, and the longing desire 
which is felt for it in all the provinces to the south of the 
Great Desert. This commodity is chiefly brought from the 
seacoast ; from large pits in the Western Desert ; and also 
from the lakes or ponds of Domboo, in the country of the 
Tibboo. In like manner, from the west are sent up cowries 
or shells, the chief currency of the interior kingdoms, and 
goora or kolla nuts, a favourite luxury, which, on account 
of the agreeable taste they impart to the water drunk after 
them, are called African coffee. The returns are made in 
gold, ivory, fine cloths, and too often in slaves. The trade 
with Northern Africa across the Desert consists in foreign 
commodities. The chief imports are gaudy and glittering 
ornaments ; for the power of distinguishing between the 
genuine and the false in finery does not seem to exist be- 
yond the Sahara. Captain Lyon enumerates nine kinds 
of beads, silks, and cloths of bright colours, especially red, 
copper kettles, long swords, powder, and ball. Antimony 
to blacken the eyes, with cast-off clothes, and old armour, 
find also a ready market. The returns are the same as 
those sent to the shores of the Atlantic. The monetary 
system of the negro countries is most imperfect ; for the 
shell currency, of which it requires several thousand pieces 
to make up a pound sterling, must be intolerably tedious. 
The only metallic form appears in Loggun, where it con- 
sists of rude bars of iron. In Bornou, and several coun- 
tries on the coast, cloth, mats, or some other article in 
general demand, is made the common measure of value. 

All the accommodations of life throughout this continent 
are simple and limited in the greatest degree. There does 
not, probably, without some foreign interposition, exist in 
Africa a stone house, or one which rises two stories from 
the ground. The materials of the very best habitations are 
merely stakes of wood plastered with earth, built in a 
conical form like bee-hives, and resembling the first rude 
shelter which man framed against the elements. Many of 



232 SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 

these mansions afford little facility for standing upright, 
and indeed are resorted to chiefly for sleep and shelter , 
while the court before the door, shaded by the family tree, 
is the scene of social intercourse, and of all meetings for 
the purposes of business and gayety, Greater efforts in- 
deed are made to form a commodious state-room or public 
hall, called the palaver-house ; yet this, too, consists merely, 
as shown in the annexed plate, of a large apartment, raised 




on posts fixed in the ground, and roofed with sloping 
planks, which leave the interior open to the air on every 
side. The houses and yards of persons in any degree opu- 
lent are enclosed by an outer wall or hedge, sometimes pretty 
high, serving the purposes both of privacy and defence. Even 
the palaces of the grandees, and of the greatest monarchs, 
consist of merely a cluster of these hovels or cottages, 
forming a little village, with large open spaces, and sur- 
rounded by a common wall. The state-hall of the sultan 
of the Fellatas, the greatest of the African princes, is an 
apartment to which, in Captain Clapperton's opinion, the 
term shed would in Europe be properly applied. Slender, 
however, as is the accommodation afforded by these edi- 
fices, they are liberally adorned, especially in the larger 
cities, both with carving and painting. 

If African houses be of mean construction, the internal 



SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 233 

accommodations are equally scanty. Except the state- 
chairs or thrones of the great monarchs, ascended only on 
very solemn occasions, there is not throughout native Africa 
a seat to sit upon. The people squat on the ground in cir- 
cles ; and if the chief can place beneath him the skin of a 
lion or leopard, he is at the height of his pomp. For a 
table there is at best a wooden board, whereon is neither 
plate, knife, fork, nor spoon ; the fingers being supposed 
fully adequate to the performance of every function. If 
it be necessary to separate into parts a large joint, or 
even a sheep roasted whole, the dagger or sword of the 
warrior is drawn forth, and very speedily accomplishes the 
object. 

The intellectual character of the natives of this conti- 
nent presents a peculiar and remarkable deficiency. If we 
except the Ethiopic language, which is seemingly of Arabic 
origin, and the unknown characters, probably Phoenician, 
inscribed by the Tuaricks on their dark rocks, there is not a 
•tincture of letters or of writing among all the aboriginal tribes 
of Africa. There is not a hieroglyphic or a symbol, — no- 
thing corresponding to the painted stories of Mexico, or the 
knotted quipos of Peru. Oral communication forms the 
only channels by which thought can be transmitted from 
one country and one age to another. The lessons of time, 
the experience of ages, do not exist for the nations of this 
vast continent. 

Notwithstanding so great a deficiency, the African must 
not be imagined as sunk in entire mental apathy. The en- 
terprise of a perilous and changeful life developes energies 
which slumber amid the general body of the people in a 
civilized society. Their great public meetings and palavers 
exhibit a fluent and natural oratory, accompanied often 
with much good sense and shrewdness. Above all, the pas- 
sion for poetry is nearly universal. As soon as the evening 
breeze begins to blow, the song resounds throughout all 
Africa, — it cheers the despondency of the wanderer through 
the desert, — it enlivens the social meeting, — it inspires the 
dance, — and even the lamentations of the mourner are 
poured forth in measured accents. Their poetry does not con- 
sist in studied and regular pieces, such as, after previous study, 
are recited in our schools and theatres ; they are extempo- 
rary and spontaneous effusions, in which the speaker gives 
U2 



234 SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 

utterance to his hopes and fears, his joys and sorrows. All 
the sovereigns are attended by crowds of singing men and 
singing women, who, whenever any interesting event oc* 
curs, celebrate it in songs, which they repeat aloud and in 
public. Flattery, of course, must be a standing reproach 
against this class of bards ; yet from this imputation their 
European brethren are not exempted ; while, from Major 
Laing's report, it appears that there is often present a sable 
Tyrtaeus, who reproaches the apathy of the prince and people, 
and rouses them to deeds of valour. Specimens are want- 
ing of the African muse ; yet, considering that its effusions 
are numerous, inspired by nature, and animated by na- 
tional enthusiasm, they seem not unlikely to reward the 
care of a collector. The few examples actually given fa- 
vour this conclusion. How few among our peasantry could 
have produced the pathetic and affecting lamentation which 
was uttered in the little Bambarra cottage over the distresses 
of Park ! These songs, besides, handed down from father 
to son, contain evidently all that exists among these na- 
tions of traditional history. From the songs of the Jil- 
limen of Soolimani, Major Laing was enabled to compile 
the annals of this small kingdom for more than a century. 
In their religion, the negroes labour under the disadvan- 
tage of being left to unassisted reason, and that, too, very 
little enlightened. Man has, perhaps, an instinctive senti- 
ment that his own fate and that of the universe are ruled 
by some supreme and invisible power ; yet he sees this only 
through the medium of his wishes and imagination. He 
seeks for some object of veneration and means of protection, 
which may assume an outward and tangible shape. The 
negro reposes his faith in the doctrine of charms, which 
presents a substance stamped with a mystic and superna- 
tural character, capable of being attached to himself indi- 
vidually, and of affording a feeling of security amid the 
many evils that environ him. The manitou of the native 
Americans is founded upon the same principle ; and the 
similar use, by Catholics, of images, beads, and relics, per- 
vertedly employed even under a pure and exalted religion, 
shows the strength of this propensity in the human mind. 
In all the Moorish borders, where writing is known, it forms 
the basis of feticherie ; and its productions, rendered more 
brilliant and sensible by being enclosed in golden or orna- 



SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 235 

merited cases, are hung round the person as guardian influ- 
ences. The very circumstance of the characters being un- 
intelligible gives to them the power of exciting ideas more 
mysterious and supernatural. Where this art is unknown, 
a bow, a horn, a feather, the beaks and the claws of birds, 
even the most frivolous and insignificant object, is employed 
and relied on with the fullest confidence. Absurd, how- 
ever, as are the observances of the negro, he is a stranger 
to the deadly bigotry of his Moslem neighbour. He neither 
persecutes, nor even brands as impious, those whose reli- 
gious views differ the most widely from his own. There is 
only one point on which his faith assumes a savage character, 
and displays darker than inquisitorial horrors. The hope 
of an immortal destiny, dimly working in the blinded hu- 
man heart, leads to the wildest errors. The despot, the 
object of boundless homage on earth, seeks to transport all 
his pomp, and the crowd of his attendants, to his place in 
the future world. His death must be celebrated by the cor- 
responding sacrifice of a numerous band of slaves, of wives 
and of courtiers : their blood must water his grave ; and 
the sword of the rude warrior, once drawn, does not readily 
stop ; — a general massacre often takes place, and the ca 
pitals of these barbarian chiefs are seen to stream with blood. 
This horrid system is not exclusively African ; but it else- 
where exists on a smaller scale, and is attached to a state 
of society much more decidedly savage. 

In regard to the social aspect of this continent, the unim- 
proved condition in which it appears may be regarded as 
that perhaps in which violence and wrong have the widest 
field, and cause the most dreadful calamities to the hu- 
man race. The original simplicity, founded on the absence 
of all objects calculated to excite turbulent desires and pas- 
sions, has disappeared, while its place is not yet supplied by 
the restraints of law and the refinements of civilized society. 
War, the favourite pursuit, is therefore carried on with the 
most unrelenting fury ; and robbery, on a great and national 
scale, is generalty prevalent. Brilliant and costly articles 
already exist ; but these are distributed with an inequality 
which the needy warrior seeks by his sword to redress. 
African robbery is not perpetrated by concealed or proscribed 
ruffians, who shrink from the eye of man, and are the out- 
casts of social life. It is not even confined to the poor tribes 
of the Desert, who see caravans laden with immense wealth 



236 SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 

pass along their borders. Princes, kings, and the most 
distinguished warriors consider it a glory to place them- 
-selves at the head of an expedition undertaken solely for 
the purposes of plunder. 

Slavery seems also to belong to the barbarian state. Man 
has emerged from the limited wants of savage life, and sees 
productions of art, which he eagerly covets, without having 
acquired those habits of steady industry by which he might 
earn them for himself. His remedy is to compel those whom 
his superior strength, or any other advantage, enables him 
to bring under subjection, to labour in supplying his wants. 
Often the blind and spontaneous veneration of those tribes 
for their chiefs causes them to sink into voluntary slavery ; 
many again are made captive in war ; and generally a great 
part of the population of every barbarous society is placed 
in a state of bondage. 

From the two evils above described arises a third, still 
darker, — the stealing of human beings in order to make 
them slaves. This is perpetrated widely throughout Africa, 
and attended with every circumstance of crime and horror. 
It is an enormity also in which the greatest sovereigns do not 
scruple to participate. Their troops surround a town in the 
dead of night, watching till the first dawn, when the gates 
are opened ; — they then rush in, set fire to it, and while the 
victims, with shrieks and cries, are seeking to escape, bind 
and carry them off into slavery. It must be confessed, at 
the same time, that the unrelenting and atrocious spirit of 
this warfare has been in a great measure produced by fo- 
reign connexion, either with the European powers, or with 
Northern Africa, Turkey, and other Mohammedan states. 

Notwithstanding so many evils, however, we may again 
repeat, that an unvaried cloud of moral darkness does not 
hang over Africa. The negro character appears to be dis- 
tinguished by some features unusually amiable, by a pecu- 
liar warmth of the social affections, and by a close adhe- 
rence to kindred ties. If some travellers have been ill- 
treated and plundered, others have been relieved with the 
most signal and generous hospitality. The negro, unless 
when under the influence of some violent excitement, is, on 
the whole, more mild, hospitable, and liberal than the 
Moor ; it is by the latter race that the atrocities against Eu- 
ropean travellers have been chiefly perpetrated. 

In the political arrangements of the African states there 



SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 237 

occur some singular anomalies. A bold and independent spirit 
has been supposed to characterize man in a rude and un- 
civilized condition ; and, accordingly, a number of petty 
communities here present an aristocratic, and sometimes 
even a republican form. But all the great kingdoms are 
subject to the most complete and abject despotism. Thou- 
sands of brave warriors bend down to one of their fellow- 
mortals with a profound and servile abasement, never wit- 
nessed in polished or, as we call them, corrupted societies. 
Examples so frequent and striking have occurred in the 
course of this narrative, that we need not adduce any other 
illustration. It deserves particular notice that the nations 
in this degrading condition are the most numerous, the most 
powerful, and most advanced in all the arts and improve- 
ments of life ; that, if we except the human sacrifices to 
which blind veneration prompts them, they display even a 
disposition more amiable, manners more dignified and 
polished, and moral conduct more correct, than prevail 
among the citizens of the small free states, who are 
usually idle, turbulent, quarrelsome, and licentious. Bad, 
therefore, as absolute power is in itself, there appears, ne- 
vertheless, in the disposition shown by man to submit to it 
in this uncultivated state, something salutary, and which 
even tends to his ultimate improvement. 

The foreign races who have settled in Africa by migra- 
tion and conquest are found fully established in the fine 
country along the Mediterranean. The inroad of the Arabs 
or Saracens, and the subsequent conquest by the sultans, 
have stamped completely their character on this vast region. 
The Turkish sabre and the Moslem creed lord it over 
these ancient seats of empire, light, and civilization. The 
remnants of the native tribes are either sunk in degradation, 
as the Copts, lurking in the recesses of the mountains, or 
wandering over desert plains, as the Brebers, the Tibboos, 
and the Tuaricks. The once-varied frame of society is now 
moulded into one gloomy monotony, such as is always pro- 
duced by the influence of Mussulman habits. Turkish 
cities exhibit every where one uniform aspect ; higLwalls of 
earth, without windows, border on narrow and dirty streets ; 
and the nakedness and desolation of the exterior often form 
a striking contrast with the barbarian splendour within. A 
deep and grave solemnity, the absence of all gay and social 



238 SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 

meetings, and the entire seclusion of females, produce an 
effect wholly different from that of European society. In 
the country, the Arab population is simple and patriarchal ; 
yet unhappily no strangers to violence and plunder in their 
very worst forms. 

The two races, thus strikingly distinguished, native and 
foreign, Mohammedan and pagan, meet and mix in Cen- 
tral Africa, on the banks of the Niger, and on the other 
great rivers which water that region. Major Rennell con- 
siders the stream now named as the boundary between the 
Moors and negroes, as Pliny conceived it to separate the 
Africans from the Ethiopians ; and the division, though 
not rigorously correct, is yet, in a general sense, conformable 
to fact. The Moors have made extensive conversions, and 
have introduced all that is known of letters or writing into 
the interior regions. Yet the lurid gleam thus shed over 
benighted Africa serves little more than to deepen the sur- 
rounding darkness. This sublime art is prized, not as the 
principal means of enlightening and enlarging the human 
mind, but as a tool of the magic art, — an instrument for 
manufacturing charms and fetiches, to be sold at high prices 
to the deluded natives. Only a few of the great sheiks and 
doctors read even the Koran. The most approved mode of 
imbibing its contents, as was formerly stated, is by tracing 
the characters on a smooth board with a black substance, 
then washing them off, and swallowing the water. Others, 
having enclosed the Koran in a large silver case, bear it 
constantly about, groaning under the burden, but expecting 
from it the greatest spiritual benefits. 

Bigotry among these negro converts rises to a still higher 
pitch ; and the future doom of the unbeliever is considered 
even more assured than on the shores of the Mediterranean. 
Meantime they subject him to the earthly miseries of foreign 
and distant bondage ; for, while it is unlawful to enslave 
any true believer, the goods, the person, nay, the whole 
property of the Caffre are considered as rightfully belonging 
to the children of the prophet. This very circumstance 
causes a secret abatement in that eager spirit of proselytism 
which burns so fiercely among the adherents of the Moslem 
creed. They cannot be insensible, that if the eyes of this 
host of unbelievers were enlightened, they themselves 
would forfeit the ground on which they rest their only claim, 



SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 230 

now in full exercise, of driving them by thousands to the 
markets of Kano and Tripoli. 

In general we may observe, that while the Mohammedan 
converts in Central Africa are so intensely bigoted in re- 
spect to dogmas, they are more lax in practice than their 
brethren of Cairo and Tripoli. The females are not so 
closely immured ; and the men seldom adhere to that pre- 
cept of the Koran which enjoins abstinence from fermented 
liquors. The bouza, or acid beer, circulates briskly in Mos- 
lem as well as in pagan circles. It is true that the sove- 
reigns, who are usually zealous Mussulmans, are occasionally 
seized with a paroxysm of zeal, and denounce dreadful pe- 
nalties against all who indulge in this beloved liquor. But 
this proceeding, being extremely unpopular, causes only a 
transitory emotion, which soon subsides, and affairs resume 
their wonted course. 

The Mohammedan religion, wherever it is established, has 
abolished the horrors of human sacrifice, — a great and im- 
portant good. In all other respects, the introduction of this 
foreign race and foreign creed seems only to have deepened 
the evils under which Africa had formerly suffered. 

Colonization, which in America has been carried to so- 
vast an extent, filling that continent almost entirely with an 
European population, has never been attempted in Africa, 
except on the most limited scale. By much the largest co- 
lony is that founded by the Dutch at the Cape of Good Hope, 
which was transferred to the English by the events of the 
last war. In 1827, it was estimated to contain a population 
of 120,000, being nearly double the amount in 1793 ; about 
47,000 were Europeans, 28,000 Hottentots, and 35,000 
slaves. Cape Town, which in 1824 comprised a population 
of 18,658, has probably increased to upwards of 20,000, and 
is now quite an English city, having newspapers, a " South 
African Journal" devoted to literature and science, and many 
intelligent inhabitants. 

Ten years ago, under the severe pressure felt in Britain 
from the scarcity of employment and subsistence, several 
thousands were sent out to occupy the district of Albany hv 
the eastern part of the colony. This settlement has not 
been prosperous ; and the expectation that it would prove a 
thriving agricultural station has, for the present, been dis- 



240 SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 

appointed. The severe droughts, and periodical inundations 
to which it is subject, have been found to render the raising 
of grain of every kind very precarious, and obliged the co- 
lonists to have recourse to pasturage ; while the lots are too 
small to render the latter mode of industry sufficiently pro- 
ductive. They consist, according to Mr. Thompson, of only 
100 acres, which are not capable of supporting above twelve 
oxen and cows. The Dutch settlers usually held 6000 
acres, for which they paid merely the expenses of measur- 
ing and survey, amounting to between 300 and 600 dollars, 
with a quit-rent of from thirty to fifty. To obtain this 
quantity of land, the British settlers must carry out fifty- 
nine servants (who it is true have their passage paid by 
government), depositing 10Z. for each ; which, with their 
support for three years, would exceed six times the value 
of the property. In 1825, after three unfavourable harvests, 
the distress of the colony became extreme, and a subscrip- 
tion of not less than 3000/. was raised in Cape Town for 
their relief. A number then left the settlement; after 
which, the condition of those who remained gradually im- 
proved, and is now becoming comfortable. Mr. Thompson, 
however, recommends to emigrants who possess any capital 
to purchase land from the Dutch boors in the vicinity of the 
Cape ; many of whom, possessing lots of nearly 100,000 acres, 
would willingly dispose of part of their grants for money. 

To make head against the irruption of the CafFres, a body 
of military are stationed at the eastern boundary of the co- 
lony, who, in conjunction with the Albany settlers, have 
formed Graham's Town, the inhabitants of which amount 
to about 3000. Mr. Rose, who was lately there, describes 
it as " a large, ugly, ill-built, straggling place, containing a 
strange mixture of lounging officers, idle tradesmen, drunken 
soldiers, and still more drunken settlers." Its situation is 
romantic, being a deep hollow surrounded by high green 
hills, separated by glens overhung by steep and wooded 
precipices. These glens form the roads, which branch off 
like rays from a centre, and through them are seen labour- 
ing heavy wagons, drawn by oxen, frequently coming from 
very remote districts. They bring not only provisions and 
necessaries, but the rude products of the surrounding re- 
gions, — skins of the lion and leopard, horns of the buffalo, 



SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 241 

eggs and feathers of the ostrich, tusks of the elephant and 
hippopotamus, and rich fur mantles. 

It would be improper to omit mentioning in this place 
the benevolent and persevering exertions of the Moravian 
and other missionaries, who, in that distant quarter of the 
continent, have made indefatigable exertions for the instruc- 
tion and improvement of the miserable natives. They have 
not only communicated to them the light of true religion, 
but have successfully laboured to better their temporal cir- 
cumstances, and communicate habits of order, cleanliness, 
and industry. The missionary stations now extend north- 
ward to Lattakoo, and eastward into the country of the 
CafTres ; and they are daily assuming a wider range. 

By far the most persevering attempt made by Britain to 
form a colony in Africa applies to that founded at Sierra 
Leone, originating in the most benevolent motives, and con- 
ducted under the patronage of highly distinguished charac- 
ters. It had for its object the improvement of the conti- 
nent, as well as the diminution and final abolition of the 
African slave-trade. In 1772, a celebrated decision by 
Lord Mansfield established the principle, that a negro, from 
the moment he sets foot on British ground, becomes free. 
A strong interest was thus excited on the subject ; and a 
great number of black servants having, in consequence of 
the above judgment, left their masters, were rambling in a 
somewhat desolate condition in the streets of the British 
metropolis. On learning their circumstances, Mr. Granville 
Sharp, an individual of unwearied benevolence, with the 
advice of Mr. Smeathman, who had spent a considerable 
time in Africa, formed the plan of transporting them into 
their native country, to lay the foundation of a colony. 
Government having concurred in the undertaking, the set- 
tlers were sent out in the Nautilus, Captain Thompson, and 
landed on the 9th May, 1787, upon a district of about 
twenty square miles, purchased from Naimbanna, the king 
of Sierra Leone. Unfortunately these negroes, as well as 
about sixty whites, chiefly females, sent along with them, 
were of mixed and very indifferent characters. A great 
proportion soon fell a sacrifice to the climate, — the others 
showed themselves destitute of all habits of industry, and 
were besides severely harassed by the hostility of the neigh 
bouring tribes ; so that, by the year 1791, the whole number 
X 



242 SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 

was reduced to sixty-four. But the philanthropic zeal 
which prevailed in Britain for the colonization of Africa 
suffered no abatement. An association was formed under 
the titles of the St. George's Bay, and afterward of the 
Sierra Leone Company, with a capital of 250,000/., for 
the prosecution of this interesting object ; and they soon 
found another quarter whence a supply of colonists might 
be drawn. During the American war, a number of negro 
slaves in the revolted colonies, on the invitation of the Bri- 
tish government, had deserted their masters and joined her 
standard. After the unfortunate issue of the contest, these 
fugitives claimed the fulfilment of a promise said to have 
been made, that they should have lands allotted for their 
subsistence. The proffer now made of grants on their na- 
tive shore, and in a more congenial climate, was cordially ac- 
cepted. In March, 1792, they were landed at Sierra Leone, 
to the amount of 1131, in addition to 100 Europeans who 
had arrived in the preceding month. A fever, however, 
which the negroes had brought with them, aggravated by 
the unhealthy nature of the climate, carried off a consider- 
able number ; and to this latter cause of mortality half of the 
European settlers fell victims. The improvement of the 
colony was also much retarded by a very general spirit of 
insubordination ; and, in 1 794, it was barbarously plundered 
by a French squadron, which caused losses amounting, to 
upwards of 50,000/. However, the settlement had gra- 
dually recovered, and was beginning to make some progress, 
when, in 1800, it was recruited with 550 maroons, or insur- 
rectionary negroes from Jamaica, who had been originally 
transported to Nova Scotia. They arrived at a very sea- 
sonable moment, when a disturbance had just broken out 
among the original body of negroes, which the British 
crews were busily employed in suppressing. 

Notwithstanding all that had been done for the improve- 
ment of Sierra Leone, which had more than absorbed the 
original capital of the company, very little progress was 
yet made towards fulfilling its objects. No spirit of indus- 
try had been infused into the inhabitants, and no amicable 
connexions formed with the neighbouring states. The 
company had scarcely the means of supporting it any 
longer ; but there appeared reason to hope that the more 
energetic and influential efforts of government might yet 



SOCIAL CONDITION OF AFRICA. 243 

overcome the obstacles which had hitherto baffled the most 
strenuous efforts of individuals. Accordingly, by mutual 
agreement, concluded on the Sth August, 1807, and carried 
into effect on the 1st January following, the settlement was 
surrendered into the hands of the crown, and placed on the 
same footing with the other British colonies. 

From this time a new and much more copious source of 
population was opened. Since the year just mentioned, 
Britain had prohibited her own subjects from carrying on 
the slave-trade, and she had afterward obtained an assur- 
ance from other countries, that they would discontinue it 
along all the coast northward of the Line. She even re- 
ceived permission to treat as pirates such of their subjects 
as within those limits might be found employed in the con- 
veyance of slaves. In her zeal for the abolition of this 
odious traffic, she has maintained a number of ships con- 
stantly watching those seas, and capturing every vessel 
thus unlawfully laden. The liberated negroes are brought 
to Sierra Leone, where they are located in the surrounding 
villages. For some time they receive rations, and are kept 
in pretty strict subordination ; but, after a certain period, 
they obtain assignments of ground, from which to earn 
their own subsistence. On the 31st March, 1827, the 
slaves thus liberated amounted to 11,878, of which there 
were 4701 males above and 1875 under fourteen ; 2717 fe- 
males above and 1517 under that age ; besides 1068 settled in 
Freetown, or employed on the river in the timber trade. On 
the 31st December, 1828, the number had been increased by 
new arrivals to 16,886. Unfortunately, neither their pro- 
gress in industry and civilization, nor the general prospe- 
rity of the colony, has answered the sanguine expectations 
once so fondly cherished. The efficiency of the govern- 
ment has been much impaired by various errors and unfor- 
tunate circumstances, and above all by the singularly dele- 
terious influence of the climate on European constitutions. 
This, it is supposed, is owing not so much to the mere heat, 
as to the noxious exhalations arising from an ill-regulated 
town, and an uncultivated country, covered with such a 
mass of brush and jungle as to impede the necessary venti- 
lation. The result is, a remittent fever, so malignant that 
almost all Europeans are attacked with it, and not one in 
three recovers These circumstances have oftener than 



244 GEOLOGY OF AFRICA. 

once led to the consideration whether Sierra Leone ought 
not to be entirely relinquished. An attempt has even been 
recently made to establish in its room a colony at Fernando 
Po, a small island in the Gulf of Benin ; but the expectations 
formed from its climate have also been entirely disappointed. 
Meantime, it is considered that the absolute abandonment 
of Sierra Leone would leave full scope for the contraband 
slave-trade, and frustrate all hopes of establishing a centre 
whence civilization might hereafter spread throughout 
Africa. The latest accounts from the governors, Colonel 
Denham, in 1827 and 1828, and Major Ricketts, in 1829, 
express a decided opinion that a spirit of improvement is at 
last beginning to be manifested, — that the inhabitants show 
a disposition to cultivate the ground, and an anxiety to be 
able to purchase European luxuries,— and that in the 
villages, particularly of Wellington and Waterloo, good 
churches, and a few stone houses, have been erected. The 
annual expenditure has been reduced to about 40,0007., of 
which 17,000/. is for liberated Africans ; and government 
seems desirous to retain the settlement, till the natives shall 
be so far improved as to be able to conduct their own ad- 
ministration, and to afford an example of industry and order 
to the neighbouring states. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Geology of Africa,.* 

Africa is distinguished from the other continents by its 
nearly insular form, being connected with Asia merely by 
an inconsiderable neck of land or isthmus, viz. that of 
Suez. It extends from the equator to about the average 
latitude of 35° north, and also to the same degree of lati- 
tude south. The greatest length from north to south is 
from Cape Serrat in Algiers, in lat. 37° 18' N., to Cape 

* According to some authors, the name Africa is derived from a, neg., 
an&frigus, cold ; while others trace it from a small Carthaginian district 
named Frigi— A-frikc-a. 



AFRICAN REGIONS 245 

Laguillas, inlat. 34° 55' S. ; and the greatest breadth from 
Cape Verde, in long. 17° 31' W., to Cape Guardafui, in 
long. 51° 15' E. The northern portion of this continent 
is fully twice the size of the southern portion, and may be 
considered as about equal to South America; while the 
southern half is contracted to half the breadth of the north- 
ern part, and is nearly about the size of New-Holland. 
The shape of the corresponding coasts of Africa and Ame- 
rica would induce us to infer that the two continents of Africa 
and America were once united, — the projecting or salient 
part of the former fitting exactly to the Gulf of Mexico ; 
and the bulging part of South America, about Paraiba and 
Pernambuco, being about the size and shape to fill up the 
Gulf of Guinea. This great continent has but compara- 
tively few gulfs, bays, arms of the sea, and promontories ; 
and hence, notwithstanding its nearly insular form, its ex- 
tent of coast is much less in proportion to its area, than in 
other quarters of the globe. The condition of man, the 
distribution of the lower animals and plants, even the cli- 
mate of Africa, are intimately connected with this limited 
extent of coast. 

On viewing Africa from its northern boundary on the 
shores of the Mediterranean, to its southern boundary at 
the Cape of Good Hope, the following natural divisions or 
regions present themselves to our attention : — 

1. The northern region, formed by the Atlas range of 
mountains, hills, and plains, that extend from the coast of 
the Atlantic to the Gulf of the Syrtis, — and by the range 
of fertile hills and dales, and valleys mixed with deserts, in 
which are some insulated spots of verdure, known under 
the name oase,* that extend from the termination of the 
Atlas to Egypt.f 

2. The eastern region, formed by Egypt, Abyssinia, Dai 
fur, &c. 

* The word Oasis is Egyptian, and synonymous with Auasis and 
Hyasis (Strabo, lxxiii. p. Aim 1140). Abulfeda names the Oasis Al 
Wahat. In latter times the Cesars banished criminals to the Oases. 
They were sentenced to expiate their crimes on the islands of the Sandy 
Sea, as the Spaniards and English send their criminals to the Malouin 
islands and New-Holland. The latter could more easily escape by the 
ocean, than the former across the surrounding deserts. 

t The Atlas of Homer and Hesiod, according to Bory St. Vincent, is 
the Peak of Teneriffe ; the Atlas of the Greek and Roman geographers 
•the African Atlas range of mountains. 
X2 



246 GEOLOGY OF THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS. 

3. The Desert region, which is the flat, comparatively 
low tract of generally desert country, of which the principal 
portion is the Great Desert of Sahara, which lies between 
the 29th and 16th parallels, or about 780 miles in breadth, 
and extending across the continent from the Atlantic to 
the borders of Nubia. 

4. The Region of Soudan, Nigritia, or the Country of the 
Negroes, extending in a belt across the continent as far as 
Abyssinia, and from the 16th to the 5th parallel, or about 
600 miles in breadth. It is a rich and fertile region, yield- 
ing, with little labour, all the valuable productions of the 
tropical countries. 

5. Great Table-land of Africa, or High Africa. — This, 
in all probability, very interesting part of Africa extends 
from the zone of Nigritia to the Cape of Good Hope. It 
appears to contain a lofty and extensive table-land, from 
which acclivities, supporting ranges of mountains, decline 
on the east and south towards the Indian Ocean ; on the 
west to the Atlantic ; and on the north to the Country of 
Soudan or Nigritia. Unfortunately the whole of this great 
region, with exception of the Cape of Good Hope and 
the Portuguese settlements on the east and west coasts, be- 
tween which they are said to keep up a communication, is 
unknown to us ; so that there still remains a tract of coun- 
try, at the least 30 degrees of latitude by 25 of longitude, 
or about 2,600,000 square geographical miles, of which 
nothing whatever is known. Now that the thirst for 
Arctic discovery has been quenched, and the public feeling 
has set strongly against expeditions to Central Africa, we 
trust that our government will be the first to engage in the 
exploration of the great table-land of Southern Africa. 

Having premised this short account of the general fea- 
tures of Africa, we shall now state what is known of its 
geology and mineralogy, following in our account the great 
natural divisions already pointed out. 

1. Geology of the Atlas, or Northern Region of Africa.* — 
The northern division of Africa is principally characterized 
by the Atlas chain of mountain-ranges, on some of the 
loftiest points of which there is perpetual snow, which gives 
them a height of 12,000 to 13,000 feet above the level of 

* The Egyptian, Abyssinian, and bordering African districts will be 
considered in one of the succeeding volumes of tiiis work. 



AGE OF THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS. 247 

the sea. In it there are rocks of the primitive class, as 
granite, gneiss, mica-slate, and clay-slate. Copper and 
lead mines, said to occur in the primitive parts of the range, 
were worked by the ancients in Morocco and Algiers, but 
are at present neglected ; and the same is also the case 
with the antimony and tin (?) said to have been discovered 
in these mountains. In Tunis, rock-crystals, graphite, or 
black-lead, and also iron and galena, are met with in the 
same kinds of rock. Although in extensive mountain- 
ranges the older rocks, or those of the primitive class, gene- 
rally predominate, such, according to travellers, is not the 
case with the Atlas, where the most extensive deposites are 
of a calcareous nature. This calcareous formation consists 
principally of secondary limestones, associated with depo- 
sites of sandstone, The limestone abounds with organic 
remains, as of shells, corals, and even fishes ; and is said 
to be referable to the various limestones extending from 
the lias, or even the magnesian limestone, to chalk inclu- 
sive. Hence in this limestone-range there are magnesian 
limestones, ooiite limestones, lias limestones, Jura lime- 
stones, and soft limestones resembling some kinds of chalk. 
Resting upon these limestones, or where they are wanting, 
as is the case at Algiers, there are deposites of tertiary 
rocks ; these are marly clays and limestones, with organic 
remains resembling those met with in the tertiary deposites 
on the north shore of the Mediterranean. Salt springs and 
gypsum are mentioned as occurring in different parts of the 
range. These may be connected either with the secondary 
or tertiary, or with both classes of rocks. 

Trap-rocks, of a modern date, also make their appearance 
among the rocks of the northern African zone. The most 
extensive display of these Plutonian masses is in the lime- 
stone in some districts to the south of Tripoli, where these 
rocks alter the position and change the characters of the 
limestone. 

Age of the Atlas Mountains. — It is conjectured, by some 
geologists, that the great ranges of mountains of the earth 
have risen from below, through rents in previously existing 
strata, and not all at once, but at different times ; and fur- 
ther, that all mountain ranges having the same general 
direction have made their appearance from below at the 



248 AGE OF THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS. 

same time. Thus the Pyrenees and Apennines, the moun- 
tains of Dalmatia and Croatia, and the Carpathians, which 
belong to the same system, — as may be deduced from the 
descriptions given of them by various geologists, — are all 
disposed parallel to an arc of a great circle, which passes 
through Natchez and the mouth of the Persian Gulf. 
Thus, whatever may have been the cause, the mountains 
in Europe, which have issued from the earth at the same 
period, form chains at the surface of the globe, — that is to 
say, longitudinal projections, all parallel to a certain circle 
of the sphere. If we suppose, as is natural, that this rule 
may be applicable beyond the limits within which it has 
been determined, the Alleghanies of North America, — since 
their direction is also parallel to the great circle which 
joins Natchez and the Persian Gulf, — would seem to be- 
long, in respect to date, to the Pyrenean system. Elie 
Beaumont has been able to verify the accuracy of this in- 
ference by a careful examination of the descriptions of 
American geologists. It would appear from this statement 
that we might venture to conclude that the mountains of 
Greece, the mountains situated to the north of the Eu- 
phrates, and the chain of Gates in India, which also come 
under this condition of parallelism already indicated, must 
have risen, like the Alleghanies, along with the Pyrenees 
and Apennines. If we apply this reasoning to the Atlas, 
which we find to have the same general direction as the 
Alps of Switzerland, from the Valais to Styria, and with 
that of the Caucasus, the Balkan Mountains, and the Him- 
maleh Mountains, we infer that these vast ranges, and also 
the Atlas, may have risen at the same period. But at 
what period did this elevation take place 1 This can be 
answered in a general way, by remarking, that in Switzer- 
land the principal chain of the Alps appears to have up- 
raised all the secondary, and also the tertiary strata ; hence, 
according to the opinion already stated, these Swiss moun- 
tains, and consequently the Atlas and other ranges, already 
mentioned, may have risen from below at a comparatively 
recent period, — after the deposition of the tertiary rocks. 
Allowing this hypothesis to be plausible, it could be showr 
that an opinion of the ancients, — that, namely, which main 
tains that the whole country between the Syrtis and th 



GEOLOGY OF THE SAHARA. 249 

Atlantic, over which the Atlas chain extends, was formerly 
insulated, and in that state formed the celebrated Atlantis, 
— is not destitute of geological probability.* 

2. Geology of the Desert, or Sahara Region. — The se- 
cond, or Sahara region, is eminently characterized by its 
vast desert of sand, the greatest and most frightful on the 
face of the earth. On the east it is bounded by a rocky 
limestone wall to the west of the Nile, and a series of oases 
and deserts extending from Darfur to the Libyan Desert : 
on the north by a range of oases and the flat and interest- 
ing country along the southern foot of the Atlas chain : on 
the west by the ocean : and, towards the south, it ceases in 
about 15° N. lat., sloping gradually down to the fertile and 
well-watered country of Bornou on the east, Houssa in the 
centre, and the regions to the westward of Timbuetoo. 
Houssa and Bornou comprehend that region of Africa 
known by the name Soudan, or Land of the Blacks. 

The Sahara maybe considered as divided into an eastern 
and a western half. Its eastern and smaller halt is more 
varied by rocks, and clifTs, and oases, than the western and 
larger, which forms a vast sea of moving sand, well merit- 
ing the Arabian name, Sahara Bela-ma, or sea without 
water. The Western Sahara is bounded on the east in a 
line which passes through Fezzan, extending towards the 
south into Soudan, and towards the north to the Atlas. 
On many parts of the seacoast it extends under the sea, 
forming enormous sand banks ; and along the coast there 
are extensive ranges of downs or sand hills. The coast is 
very dangerous, and much dreaded by seamen. Ship- 
wrecks frequently take place, and the unfortunate survivors 
are carried off by the savages into a state of the most de- 
plorable slavery. Cape Blanco, so well known to mariners, 
is not a rocky headland, but a flat sandy projecting white 
tongue of land, destitute of vegetation. The sand hills 
continue down to Cape Verde, — a promontory distinguished 
by its two lofty hills of sand, rising to a height of 600 feet, 
and overlooking the smaller surrounding downs, and form- 
ing a warning landmark, seen by sailors at a great distance. 

* The particular geology of the Northern Region, which will include 
descriptions of Morocco, Fez, Algiers Tunis, and Tripo'i, will appear in 
a future volume of this Library, the present volume being confined prin- 
cipally to the Central and Southern Regions of Africa. 



250 SUBTERRANEAN VILLAGES NEAR TRIPOLI. 

From the entrance of Gonzalo da Cintra, on the coast of 
Barbary, to Cape Verde, all the elevated points of solid 
rock are said to be of igneous origin : thus Cape Barbas, 
Cape Blanco, Cape Manuel, and Cape Verde are composed 
of basalt and lava. All the islands, too, along this west 
coast are of igneous origin. 

In this vast waste there are a few oases and wadeys, or 
valleys, in which springs of water are found, and shrubby 
plants, chiefly acacias, and tufts of grass. It is inhabited 
only by pastoral tribes, who roam about from one oasis to 
another, where a little verdure may be found. Some of 
these tribes add to their scanty means of subsistence the 
plunder of such feeble caravans as they may venture to 
attack ; and others are employed in collecting salt and natron 
for the markets of Bornou and Soudan. For hundreds of 
miles not an oasis is seen, the surface being one continued 
plain ; in some places blown up into high ridges, in others 
presenting undulations like the waves of the sea. In parts 
of the Desert, insulated hills, or ridges of hills of naked sand- 
stone, sometimes also of granite, rise through the sandy 
surface, appearing like so many islands in the ocean. 

Account of the Line of Desert from Tripoli to the Lake 
Tchad. — The line of desert, extending from Tripoli by 
Mourzouk to Kouka, has been described by our former 
pupil the late excellent and intelligent traveller Dr. Oudney, 
and by his enterprising fellow-travellers Clapperton and 
Denham. As the account is novel and interesting, we shall 
now lay some details illustrative of it before our readers ; 
occasionally, also, referring to the observations of another 
well-known African traveller, Captain Lyon.* 

Subterranean Villages. — All around Tripoli the prevail- 
ing rocks are of limestone, — partly of secondary, partly, it 
is said, of tertiary formation. The Arab inhabitants of the 
Gharian limestone mountains in Tripoli live under ground^ 
• — a circumstance worthy of being particularly recorded, on 
account of its connexion with the ancient history of man, 

* To those interested in African adventure, we recommend an in- 
teresting little volume just published, entitled, ■" A Biographical Memoir 
of the late Dr. Walter Oudney and Captain Hugh Clapperton, both of the 
royal navy, and Major Alexander Gordon Laing, all of whom died amid 
their active and enterprising endeavours to explore the interior of Africa. 
By the Rev. Thomas Nelson, Member of the Wernerian Society, &c * 
^2mo. Edinburgh, 1830, by Waugh and Innea. 



SUBTERRANEAN VILLAGES NEAR TRIPOLI. 251 

and also his present condition in some countries. Captain 
Lyon says,- — " We stopped at a nest, I cannot call it a vil- 
lage, where all the habitations are under ground. The 
sheik, on hearing we were under the protection of the 
bashaw, came to welcome us, and gave us the only hut the 
place afforded, in which we placed our people and camel- 
loads. As for ourselves, we preferred clearing part of the 
farm-yard, and pitching our tent in it, surrounded by our 
horses and camels. This place is called Beni-Abbas. As 
the natives live, as I have observed, under ground, a person 
unacquainted with the circumstance might cross the moun- 
tain without once suspecting that it was inhabited. All 
the dwelling-places being formed in the same manner, a de- 
scription of the sheik's may suffice for the rest. The upper 
soil is sandy earth, of about four feet in depth ; under this 
sand, and in some places limestone, a large hole is dug, to 
the depth of twenty-five or thirty feet, and its breadth in 
every direction is about the same, being, as nearly as can 
be, a perfect square. The rock is then smoothed so as to 
form perpendicular sides to this space, in which doors are 
cut tnrough, and arched chambers excavated, so as to re- 
ceive their light from the doors. The rooms are sometimes 
three or four of a side ; in others, a whole side composes 
one, — the arrangements depending on the number of in- 
habitants. In the open court is generally a well, water 
being found at ten or twelve feet below the base of the 
square. The entrance to the house is at about thirty-six 
yards from the pit, and opens above ground. It is arched 
overhead, is generally cut in a winding direction, and is 
perfectly dark. Some of these passages are sufficiently 
large to admit a loaded camel. The entrance has a strong 
wall built over it, something resembling an ice-house. 
This is covered overhead, and has a very strong heavy 
door, which is shut at night, or in cases of danger. At 
about ten yards from the bottom is another door, equally 
strong; so that it is impossible to enter these houses, 
should the inhabitants determine to resist. Few Arab at- 
tacks last long enough to end in a siege. All their sheep 
and poultry being confined in the house at night, the 
bashaw's army, when here, had recourse to suffocating the 
inmates, being unable to starve them out." Again, at 
page 29, he says, — ►" At noon, we arrived at a cluster of 



252 SUETERRANEAN VILLAGES. 

nests about six miles from Beni- Abbas : all the habitations 
of this place are of the same kind as those already de- 
scribed." 

Colonel Silvertop, in an interesting memoir on the La- 
custrine Basins of Baza and Alhama, in the New Edin- 
burgh Philosophical Journal, vol. ix., gives an account of 
a subterranean village called Benamaurel, in Granada in 
Spain, which is on a larger scale than those mentioned by 
Captain Lyon. It would probably be a difficult antiqua- 
rian investigation to trace the origin of these Spanish sub- 
terranean dwellings, inhabited by a considerable population 
of the poorer classes in various parts of the province of 
Granada. They may be observed in the outskirts of the 
cities of Granada, Guadiz, and Baza ; but are most nu- 
merous in the villages of Benamaurel, Castillejos, Caniles, 
and Cullar, where they have been excavated in the marl 
strata, so extensively deposited in that basin, and in those 
of Benabra, and another in the valley of Guadiz. In 
Benabra, the entire population lives in caves, — the church, 
the curate's house, and the venta being the only edifices 
seen above ground. In the neighbourhood of Bagnovea, in 
the pope's territories, there is a village, of which an Italian 
traveller has observed, that a few stones for the purpose Of 
closing the entrance of the cavern, a hole for the smoke to 
go out of, and an aperture to admit the light, suffice to com- 
plete each habitation. In the Isle of Ponza, near the Bay 
of Naples, is another town of the same description, the in- 
habitants preferring to reside in caves, although the island 
abounds in good building materials. In France, many vil- 
lages of inhabited caverns still exist. Swinburne describes 
a village of the same kind, which occurs in the province of 
Andalusia in Spain. The natives of New-Holland and 
other countries still shelter themselves in caves and ca- 
verns, and in the hollows of trees. At an early period, the 
inhabitants of Europe appear also to have lived principally 
in natural caves and caverns, or in such as they dug in soft 
rocks. 

The subject of caves has recently attracted considerable 
attention ; but more on the part of the geologist than of the 
antiquarian. It has been ascertained that in caves in the 
south of France human remains had been found along with 
bones of quadrupeds, now no longer met with in a living 



ANCIENT GERMANS' INHABITED CAVES. 253 

state, either in Europe or elsewhere. The destruction of 
the forests in which they found shelter, the drying up of the 
lakes, on the borders of which they found their food, and 
partial convulsions of nature, sufficiently account, says Dr. 
Hibbert, for their extinction. In this view, the investigation 
of the caves in which human bones are found is as much 
the province of the antiquary as of the geologist. The 
same geologist assumes as an hypothesis, that the tribes in- 
habiting Europe, previous to the historical times, were in a 
state similar to that of the Fins described by Tacitus, — as 
leading an almost brutish life, destitute even of the ear- 
liest rudiments of the arts. Such beings might well be 
conceived to contend with the beasts, above whom they 
were so little elevated, for places of shelter they knew not 
how to construct ; or, at all events, they might crawl like 
the beasts, or the New-Hollanders, into caves or caverns to 
conceal their dying agonies. At this period the bones 
could scarcely have been deposited in caves for the purpose 
of inhumation, the idea of sepulture belonging to a mort? 
advanced state. The rude fragments of earthenware found 
in the same caves belonged to an extremely rude and very 
early period. The Celtic and Gothic tribes, who sup- 
planted the aborigines of Europe, seemed to have reached 
the agricultural state. The Germans are described as in- 
habiting houses built of gross and unhewn materials, con- 
structed without the aid of mortar ; and also caves, into 
which they retired for shelter from the inclemency of the 
winter, as do the inhabitants of some countries in Northern 
Asia at present. Traces of these ancient subterraneous 
habitations are still to be met with in Germany, but much 
more frequently in France and Italy, where the nature of the 
rock is more favourable to the task of excavation, and they 
are most numerous in the south of France. Each cave ap- 
pears to have been entered by a low chink or fissure, situated 
almost half way between the floor of the cave and its roof, 
and differing as little as possible, from the level of the avenue 
by which it was approached. Sometimes the caves are 
isolated, sometimes they are found in groups. These caves 
continued to be used even during the feudal period, as 
could be proved by descriptions of caves met with in dif- 
ferent parts of Europe, particularly in the south of France. 
We recommend to the particular attention of travellers 



254 SOUDAH, OR BLACK MOUNTAINS. 

the examination of caves and caverns, being an investiga- 
tion, as appears from the preceding details, not only inti- 
mately connected with the early history of man, and of his 
condition in a low state of civilization even at the present 
day, but also with the geological history of our species, and 
of that of several of the more powerful and interesting spe- 
cies of the class of quadrupeds. 

In the route from Tripoli to Mourzouk, the first change 
of rock met with by Dr. Oudney was at Benioleed,* where he 
remarks there is a rich valley, the sides of which are of 
limestone hills 400 feet high, capped with greenstone and 
amygdaloid. The Jibel Gulat, 600 feet high, one of the 
highest hills he had met with since leaving Tripoli, is con- 
siderably to the south of Benioleed. It is composed of marls 
and limestones, containing fossil oysters and limpets, form- 
ing a deposite which is said to resemble the tertiary rock 
named calcaire grossiere of the Paris basin, which occurs 
in Malta, Sicily, and on the north side of the Mediterra- 
nean, on the shores of Italy and France. These limestones 
continue onwards to the valley of Bonjem,f which was 
found strewed with gypsum. Captain Lyon mentions gun- 
flints as occurring in the road to Bonjem ; while Dr. Oud- 
ney speaks of striped jaspers and cornelians, but does not 
mention gun-flints. These rocks continue onwards to 
Sockna. A short distance to the south of Sockna are the 
Soudah or Black Mountains. These, Captain Lyon says, 
rise to a height of 1500 feet, extend about 100 miles in 
breadth from N. to S., and as far as the eye can reach from 
E. to W. They are perfectly barren, of very irregular 
forms, occasionally broken into detached masses, and some- 
times rising into cones. They are composed of trap-rocks, 
said to be of the nature of basalt. After crossing this 
range, the route to Mourzouk leads across gravelly and 
sandy tracts, with frequent appearances of dolomite lime- 
stone, occasionally rolled masses of basalt, and agates, pro- 
bably derived from amygdaloidal trap.J The road from 

* The inhabitants of Benioleed are Arabs. The water is excellent, 
but some of the wells are 100 feet deep.— Lyon. 

t This is the northern boundary of the kingdom of Fezzan. There 
are here some perfect remains of a Roman fortress, built by order of Sep 
timius Severus — Lyon. 

X At Sebha, a town of 800 inhabitants, the population is no longer 
Arab, but black; hence Captain Lyon, in his map, says, " Sebha, N. lat, 
27° black population commences." 



PETRIFIED WOOD IN THE DESERT. 255 

Mourzouk, which our travellers left on the 29th of Novem- 
ber, 1822, to Traghan, the former capital of Fezzan, pre- 
sented frequent incrustations of salt. From Traghan to 
Maefen, the road lies over a mixture of clay and salt. The 
path, by which all the animals move for several miles, is a 
narrow space or stripe worn smooth, bearing a resemblance, 
both in hardness and appearance, to ice. Near Maefen, 
it assumes a new and more beautiful shape, being traversed 
by numerous fissures, from the sides of which, and from the 
roofs of cavities several feet deep, beautiful crystals of salt 
were observed shooting. The road extends more than 
twenty miles east and west. The water of Maefen, al- 
though impregnated with soda, is not disagreeable to the 
taste, or unwholesome. The continuation of the journey 
from Maefen to Gatrone, which occupied two days, was 
across the sand of the desert, which, it is said, was beauti- 
fully fine, round, and red.* This place is surrounded by 
sand hills and mounds of earth, covered with a tree called 
athali. Though encamped on the south side of the town, 
they had cold north and north-west winds ; and the temper- 
ature in the tent was from 43° to 45° in the mornings. On 
the 9th December reached Tegerhy.f This place they 
found pleasantly situated. On the 13th left Tegerhy, and 
proceeded on the Desert : it was scattered with mounds 
of earth and sand, covered with various shrubs, which 
were greedily devoured by the camels. On the 16th reached 
Ghad. On the 17th continued their journey over a stony 
plain, without the least appearance of vegetation. The 
exposed rocks were sandstones of different kinds, red and 
black ; fine specimens of petrified wood were found, in 
which were observed, in the centre, sap- vessels, and knots 
filled with calcareous matter, the woody fibre charged 
with a siliceous substance ; beautiful rays were observed 
shooting from the centre to the circumference. The 
depth of a well they met with, named Meshroo, was from 
15 to 20 feet ; the water good, and therefore free from 
saline impregnations: the ground around it was strewed 
with human skeletons of the slaves who had arrived, ex- 
hausted with thirst and fatigue. " The horrid consequences 
of the slave-trade," says Dr. Oudney, " were strongly 

* Captain Lyon mentions gypsum and selenite as occurring in this 
quarter. 
t This is the southernmost town in Fezzan. 



256 HUMAN SKELETONS IN THE DESERT. 

brought to our mind ; and, although its horrors are not 
equal to those of the European trade, still they are sufficient 
to call up every sympathy, and rouse up every spark of hu- 
manity. They are dragged over deserts ; water often fails, 
and also provisions scantily provided for the long and dreary 
journey. The Moors ascribe the numbers destroyed to the 
cruelty of the Tibboo traders : there is, perhaps, too much 
truth in this accusation. Every few miles a skeleton was 
seen through the whole day ; some were partially covered 
with sand, others with only a small mound formed by the 
wind ; one hand often lay under the head, and frequently 
both, as if in the act of compressing the head ; the skin and 
membranous substance all shrivel up and dry, from the state 
of the air. The thick muscular and internal parts only decay." 
Ranges of hills were seen to the south and east. In the 
evening the party halted near a well, within half a mile of 
Meshroo. Around this spot were lying more than one hun- 
dred human skeletons, some of them with the skin still re- 
maining attached to the bones, — not even a little sand 
thrown over them. The Arabs were amused at the horror 
expressed by the travellers at this sight, and said, they were 
only blacks ; and began knocking about the limbs with 
the butt-end of their firelocks. " Our camels," says Den- 
ham, " did not come up until it was quite dark, and we 
oivouacked in the midst of these unearthed remains of the 
victims of persecution and avarice, after a long day's jour- 
ney of twenty-six miles, in the course of which one of our 
party counted 107 of these skeletons." They continued 
journeying until the 21st, partly through sand and among 
sandstone hills, some of which were 600 feet high. On the 
22d, they moved before daylight, passing some rough sand 
hills mixed with red sandstone, to the west, over a plain of 
fine gravel, and halted at the matten called El Hammar, 
close under a bluff-head, which had been in view since 
quitting their resting-place in the morning. During the 
last two days they had passed, on an average, from sixty to 
eighty or ninety human skeletons each day ; but the num- 
bers that lay about the wells at El Hammar were countless ; 
those of two women, whose perfect and regular teeth be- 
spoke them young, were particularly shocking ; their arms 
still remained clasped round each other as they had expired, 
although the flesh had long since perished by being exposed 



NATRON AND SALT LAKES. 257 

to the burning rays of the sun, and the blackened bones 
only left ; the nails of the fingers, and some of the sinews 
of the hand, also remained ; and part of the tongue of one 
of them still appeared through the teeth. They bad now 
passed six days of desert without the slightest appearance 
of vegetation. On the following (24th) day, they had al- 
ternate plains of loose sand and gravel, and a distant view 
of some hills to the west. " "While," says Denham, " I 
was dozing on my horse about noon, overcome by the heat 
of the sun, which at that time of the day always shone with 
great power, I was suddenly awakened by a crashing under 
his feet, which startled me excessively. I found that my 
steed had stepped upon the perfect skeletons of two human 
fbein gs, cracking their brittle bones under his feet, and, by 
one trip of his foot, separating a scull from the trunk, which 
Tolled on like a ball before him. This incident gave me a 
sensation which it took some time to remove." 

On the following day, 24th, the plain was observed co- 
vered with slight irregularities, and strewed with pieces of 
variously-coloured calcareous spar and selenite, and thick beds 
of gypsum were noticed. Halted in the evening at wells 
situated under a ridge of low white hills of sands tone, called 
Mafrasben-Kasaretta, where there are also beds and hills of 
limestone. The whole of the journey this day, 25th, was 
through hills of a rather bold and picturesque character, of 
dark-coloured sandstone. One day's journey was also through 
a tract partly plain, partly of sandstone hills, to a wadey 
named Izhya. Here the travellers had a gale of wind for 
three days ; their tents were nearly buried with sand, and 
were obliged to roll themselves up in blankets nearly the 
whole time. TJiey started again on the 30th, and on the 
evening of the 31st halted under some low brown sand- 
stone hills. The journey from 1st January to the 6th 
was partly along and across a ridge of sandstone hills, in no 
place more than 400 feet high. On the 6th they halted at 
Tiggema, which is one of the highest points of the sand- 
stone range, about 400 feet high, and hangs over the mud 
houses of the town. Its sides are nearly perpendicular, 
and it is detached from the other hills by a chasm. On the 
8th, the route still under the range of sandstone hills, they 
passed a salt lake, and farther east, at Dirkee, two natron 
lakes. In the centre of each of these lakes is a solid body 
Y2 



258 DESERT OF BILMA. 

or island of natron. In one lake the island is 15 feet high, 
and 1 00 feet in circumference. The natron is associated with 
muriate of soda, or common salt. On the 12th they reached 
Bilma, after passing through a wadey the greater part of the 
way, which exhibited many patches of saline incrustations, 
also beds of red sandstone, containing numerous nodules of 
iron ore. The sandstone hills exhibit, on their summits, 
forms resembling ruins of towns and castles. Near to 
Bilma are several salt lakes that afford very pure and well- 
crystallized salt.* About a mile from Bilma is a spring of 
beautiful clear water, which rises to the surface of the earth, 
and waters a space of two or three hundred yards in cir- 
cumference, which is covered with fresh grass ; but, pass- 
ing this, the traveller must bid adieu to every appearance 
of vegetable production, and enter on a desert. From Bil 
ma, which was left on 16th January, the route led over loose 
hills of fine sand, in which the camels sunk nearly knee- 
deep. In passing the desert wilds, where hills disappear in 
a single night by the drifting of the sand, and where all 
traces of the passage, even of a large kafda, sometimes va- 
nish in a few hours, the Tibboos have certain points in the 
dark sandstone ridges which from time to time raise their 
heads in the midst of this ocean of sand, and form the only 
variety, and by them they steer their course. They halted 
in the evening at Kaflorum, which is a nest of hills of coarse 
dark sandstone. On the 17th bivouacked under a head 
called Zow (difficult), to the east of which were found se- 
veral wells. " This day, the 18th," says Denham, " the 
sand hills were less high, but the animals sunk so deep that 
it was a tedious day for all. Four camels of Boo Khal- 
loom's gave in ; two were killed by the Arabs, and two 
were left to the chance of coming up before morning. Tre- 
mendously dreary are these marches ; as far as the eye can 
reach, billows of sand bound the prospect. On seeing the 
.solitary foot-passenger of the kafila, with his water-flask in 

* Captain Lyon says,—" I found no one who knew of the salt lakes 
of Domboo laid down in all the maps ; but there is abundance of salt at 
A^ram (which is four days' journey from Bilma, W.S.W.), and a large 
lake, on the borders of which this article is eolleeted. The Tuaricks go 
there and carry away great quantities to Soudan This agrees with the 
accounts of Domboo ; and, from the circumstance of Tuaricks going to 
Agram, and the position of that place, I am led to imagine it may be the 
smae Domboo, though under a different appellation." 



DESERT OF BILMA. 259 

his hand and bag of zumeeta on his head, sink at a dis- 
tance beneath the slope of one of these, as he plods his 
way alone, hoping to gain a few paces in his long day's 
work by not following the track of the camels, one trem- 
bles for his safety : the obstacle passed which concealed 
him from the view, the eye is strained towards the spot, in 
order to be assured that he has not been buried quick in the 
treacherous overwhelming sand." On the 20th, passed 
hills named Geisgal. of dark sandstone, and a table-shaped 
hill in the wadey Dibla, of sandstone and slate-clay. Here 
some fulgurites, or lightning-tubes, were observed in the 
sand. A number of semi-vitrified small stones were found 
on the sands, which the people collected to use as bullets. 
The journey still across sandy deserts to an extensive wadey 
called Aghadem, which they reached on the 23d. Here are 
several wells of excellent water, and hills of sandstone. 
From thence crossed the sand desert of Tintuma. On the 
27th, " we," says Denham, " appeared gradually approach- 
ing something like vegetation. We had rising sands and 
clumps of fine grass the whole way, and the country was 
not unlike some of our heaths in England." Towards eve- 
ning the trees increased in number ; and when the travellers 
halted, the animals found abundance of food. The spot 
where they halted is called Geogo Balwy. They continue 1 
their route across sands and through valleys, bounded by 
low sandstone hills, and by some salt lakes. As they ap- 
proached the great fresh-water lake Tchad, the country im- 
proved much in appearance, owing to the increase of soil, 
and consequently of vegetation. On the 4th February, 
they came in sight of this great lake. On February 5th, 
reached Lari, on the shore of the Great Lake. On the 6th, 
the freed slaves, natives of Kanem, left them for their 
homes, three days' journey to the eastward. One poor deaf 
and dumb woman, whom the rapacity of Mukni, the former 
sultan of Fezzan, who spared neither age, sex, nor infirmity, 
had induced him to march to Tripoli, had shed torrents of 
tears ever since she had been made acquainted, by signs, 
that she was to go to Bornou. She had left two children 
behind her, and the third, which was in her arms when she 
was taken by the Arabs, had been torn from her breast 
after the first ten days of her journey across the Desert, in 
order that she might keep up with the camels. Her expres- 



260 BASE OF THE SAHARA. 

sive motions, says Denham, in describing the manner in 
which the child was forced from her and thrown on the 
sand, where it was left to perish, while whips were applied 
to her, lame and worn out as she was, to quicken her tot- 
tering steps, were intensely affecting. After travelling 
through a wooded and beautiful country, they, on February 
17th, reached Kouka. This was to the travellers an im- 
portant day, as they were now about to become acquainted 
with a people who had never seen, or scarcely heard of an 
European. 

In a journey which was undertaken to Mandara, the 
whole country to Affagay was found to be alluvial. Den- 
ham crossed part of a great range of mountains, named the 
Mandara hills, at the most southern limit of this journey. 
He says, " On all sides the apparently interminable chain 
of hills closed upon our view in rugged magnificence and 
gigantic grandeur, though not to be compared with the 
higher Alps, the Apennines, or even the Sierra Morena, in 
magnitude ; yet by none of these were they surpassed in 
picturesque effect." This range of mountains was found 
to contain granite, mica-slate, hornblende rock, and ores of 
iron. There were observed on the southward lower ranges 
of newer formation, consisting of conglomerated rocks 
abounding in fossil oyster-shells. 

On what Formation does the Sand of the Desert rest 1 — It 
is a question with geologists, on what formation or forma- 
tions does the sand of the Desert rest 1 We have not data 
sufficient for a very satisfactory answer to this question. 
Judging, however, from the details of travellers, we would 
infer that the predominating formations are of the second- 
ary class of rocks. The secondary formations met with are, 
red and vatiegated sa?idstone, with gypsum and salt, and 
white and gray sandstone sometimes disposed in fantastic 
forms. The salt in some places is seen in thick beds, along 
with red or variegated sandstones. Limestones of various 
descriptions, that appear to belong to the Jura limestone 
formation, are met with. Besides those already enume 
rated, there occur other limestones, clays, and gypsums, 
belonging to the tertiary class, from which salt springs 
issue. But not only these softer rocks appeared rising 
through the sands of the Desert ; also harder rocks, as 
greenstone, amygdaloid, and granite, in some places project, 



DESCRIPTION OF A TRONA LAKE. 261 

although rarely in isolated rocks, ridges, and cliffs. From 
these details it appears that the general basis of the Desert 
consists of secondary rocks, principally sandstone and 
limestone. 

Description of a Trona or Natron Lake. — Natron or trona, 
as already mentioned, is found in various parts of the Desert, 
but principally in its eastern half. Dr. Oudney describes, 
in the following terms, in a letter to us, afterward printed 
in Denham's Travels, the wadey Trona he passed through 
in his journey from Tripoli to Mourzouk : — " Monday r , July 8. 
— We entered the wadey Trona early this morning, on 
the north-east side. Near where we entered there are a 
cluster of date palms, and a small lake, from which impure 
trona is obtained. On the western side the trona lake is 
surrounded with date-trees, and its marshy borders are 
covered on almost all sides by grass and a tall juncas. It 
is about half a mile long, and nearly 200 yards wide. At 
present it is of inconsiderable depth, from the evaporation 
of the water ; for many places are dry now, which are 
covered in the winter and spring. The trona crystallizes at 
the bottom of the lake when the water is sufficiently satu- 
rated ; for when the water is in large quantities it eats the 
trona, as the people say. The cakes vary in thickness 
from a fine film to several inches (two or three). The 
thickest at present is not more than three-fourths of an 
inch ; but in the winter, when the water begins to increase, 
it is of the thickness I have mentioned. The surface next 
the ground is not unequal from crystallization, but rough to 
the feel from numerous small rounded asperities. That 
next the water is generally found studded with numerous 
email, beautiful cubical crystals of muriate of soda ; the 
line of junction is always distinct, and the one is easily 
removed from the other. When not covered with muriate 
of soda, the upper surface shows a congeries of small 
tabular pieces joined in every direction. When the mass is 
broken, there is a fine display of reticular crystals, often 
finely radiated. The surface of the water is covered in 
many places with large thin sheets of salt, giving the whole 
the appearance of a lake partially frozen over ; film after 
film forms till the whole becomes of great thickness. Thus 
may be observed, on the same space, trona and cubical 



262 SAND OF THE DESERT. 

crystals of muriate of soda : and, on the surface of the 
water, films accumulating till the whole amounts to a con- 
siderable thickness. The soil of the lake is dark-brown 
muddy sand, approaching to black, of a viscid consistence 
and slimy feel ; and, on the lately uncovered surface of 
the banks, a black substance, something like mineral tar, is 
seen oozing out. The water begins to increase in winter, 
and is at its height in the spring. In the beginning of the 
winter the trona is thickest and best ; but in the spring it 
disappears entirely. The size of the lake has diminished 
considerably within the last nine years, and, if care be not 
taken, the diminution will be still more considerable ; for 
plants are making rapid encroachments, and very shallow 
banks are observable in many places. On making inquiry, 
I found the quantity of trona has not sensibly diminished 
for the last ten years. Perhaps it may appear so, from there 
always being sufficient to answer every demand. The 
quantity annually carried away amounts to between 400 and 
500 camel-loads, each amounting to about 4 cwt., — a large 
quantity, when the size of the lake is taken into account. 
It is only removed from the lake when a demand comes. 
A man goes in, breaks it off in large pieces, and those on 
the banks remove the extraneous matter, and pack it in 
large square bundles. The water in the valley is good, 
Leing free from saline impregnation." — Clapperton, Den- 
ham, and Oudnexfs Journal, p. 57. 

Fulgurite and Meteoric Iron found in the Desert. — In some 
parts of the Desert, tubes of sand, resembling those found 
at Drigg, in Cumberland, and in different sandy districts on 
the continent of Europe, are met with. They are named 
fulgurites, or lightning-tubes, by naturalists, and are sup- 
posed to be formed by the lightning striking through the 
sand, and partially melting portions of it. Masses of me- 
teoric iron also have been met with in the Desert. Gol- 
berry, in his journey through Western Africa, in the years 
1805-7, mentions his having found a mass of meteoric iron 
in the Desert. Fragments of it were brought to Europe 
by Colonel O'Hara, and were analyzed by Mr. Howard, who 
found it composed of ninety-six parts of iron and four of 
nickel. 

Observations on the Sand of the Desert,— Having now 



PILLARS OF SAND IN THE DESERT. 263 

noticed the rocks and some of the minerals met with in the 
Desert, we shall next attend to the sand of which it is 
principally composed. The loose alluvial matter which 
forms the sand of the Desert is principally composed of 
particles of white and gray quartz of various sizes, gene- 
rally very small, forming the sand, properly so called, seldom 
so large as to form gravel and pebbles. Some are of opi- 
nion that this sand is an original deposite ; others, that it is 
formed from previously existing rocks through the agency 
of water. 

Moving Pillars of Sand in the Desert. — During the storms 
that often rage in this Desert, the sand is raised into clouds 
that obscure the horizon, or it is by whirlwinds raised into 
pillars. Bruce describes an appearance of this kind, which 
he witnessed in his journey through the eastern part of 
the Desert, in his route to Abyssinia, in the following terms : 
— " At one o'clock we alighted among some acacia-trees at 
Waadi-el-Halboub, having gone twenty-one miles. We 
were here at once surprised and terrified by a sight, surely 
one of the most magnificent in the world. In that vast ex- 
panse of Desert, from west to north-west of us, we saw a 
number of prodigious pillars of sand at different distances, 
at times moving with great velocity, at others stalking on 
with majestic slowness. At intervals we thought they were 
coming in a very few minutes to overwhelm us, and small 
quantities of sand did actually more than once reach us ; 
again they would retreat, so as to be almost out of sight, 
their tops reaching the very clouds ; then the tops often sepa- 
rated from the bodies, and these, once disjoined, dispersed 
in air, and did not appear more ; sometimes they were broken 
in the middle, as if they were struck with large cannon- 
shot. At noon they began to advance with considerable 
swiftness upon us, — the wind being very strong at north. 
Eleven ranged alongside of us, about the distance of three 
miles ; the greatest diameter of the largest appeared to me 
at that distance as if it would measure ten feet. They 
retired from us with a wind at south-east, leaving an 
impression on my mind to which I can give no name, 
though surely one ingredient in it was fear, with a con- 
siderable deal of wonder and- astonishment. It was in 
vain to think of flying ; the swiftest herse would be of no 



264 SAND AFFECTED BY WINDS. 

use to carry us out of this danger, and the full conviction of 
this riveted me to the spot." A similar account of these 
moving pillars of sand is given by M. Adanson, who had 
an opportunity of observing one of them crossing the river 
Gambia from the Great Desert. It passed within eighteen 
or twenty fathoms of the stern of the vessel, and seemed to 
measure ten or twelve feet in circumference, and about 250 
feet in height. Its heat was sensibly felt at the distance of 
100 feet, and it left a strong smell, more like that given out 
by saltpetre than sulphur, and which remained a long time. 

Sand-wind. — The overpowering effects of a sudden 
sand-wind, when nearly at the border of the Desert, often 
destroy a whole kafila, already weakened by fatigue. 
" Indeed," says Denham, " the sand-storm we had the 
misfortune to encounter in crossing the Desert gave us a 
pretty correct idea of the dreaded effects of these hurri- 
canes. The wind raised the fine sand, with which the ex- 
tensive Desert was covered, so as to fill the atmosphere, 
and render the immense space before us impenetrable to 
the eye beyond a few yards. The sun and clouds were 
entirely obscured, and a suffocating and oppressive weight 
accompanied the flakes and masses of sand which, I had 
almost said, we had to penetrate at every step. At times 
we completely lost sight of the camels, though only a few 
yards before us. The horses hung their tongues out of 
their mouths, and refused to face the clouds of sand. A 
parching thirst oppressed us, which nothing alleviated." 

How the prevailing- Winds affect the Sand of the Desert, 
— The prevailing winds in the Sahara are the easterly and 
westerly, — the first blows nine months, the second but three 
months. This circumstance is intimately connected with 
the motions and distribution of the sand of the Desert. In 
the eastern half of the Sahara the sand is more gravelly, 
and the general cover of sand shallower than in the western 
half; so that, in travelling towards the west, the depth of 
the sand and the completeness of the sandy covers in- 
creases. This distribution of the sand is probably owing 
to the easterly wind, which blows so much longer than the 
westerly, carrying the sand before it from the East Sahara. 
To the same cause we may refer the less frequent appear- 
ance of rocks, the gradual diminution in magnitude and of 



GEOLOGY OF NIGRITIA. 265 

frequency of oases, even their total destruction by blowing 
sand as we advance westward.* 

What is the Geognostical Age of the Sahara? — Many are 
of opinion that the Sahara must at one time have been the 
bed of the ocean. The very frequent saline impregnation 
of the sand, the rolled pebble and sands mixed with sea- 
shells at the foot of the southern acclivity of the Atlas and 
other parts of the Desert, are considered as in favour of this 
hypothesis. At what period did this great tract rise above 
the waves of the ocean ? This can only be guessed at by 
an attentive examination of the junctions of the sandstones, 
limestones, &c. with the bounding primary ranges of the De- 
sert. If they are the same on the south side as on the north 
or Atlas side, then it would follow that the Desert rose above 
the sea at the time when the Atlas made its appearance 
from below ; that is, after the deposition of the tertiary 
rocks, — at a period when the earth and its animals and 
vegetables were nearly the same as at present. 

3. Geology of the Region to the South of the Sahara, and 
to the North of the Great Table-land. — This is the Land of 
the Negroes, called also Soudan or Nigritia. The high 
land on the west of this part of Africa is partly accumu- 
lated around the sources of the rivers Senegal, Gambia, 
Rio Grande, and Niger or Joliba. From the sources of the 
Niger the mountains run eastwards, under the name Kong 
Mountains, across Africa, when at length they are said to 
form a junction with the Mountains of the Moon, that range 
onward and join with the vast alpine land of Abyssinia. 
Parts of this boundary are very lofty, some mountains of the 
Kong chain attaining an elevation of 14,000 feet above the 
level of the sea. From the meager details of travellers in 
regard to this part of Africa, all we can infer is, that the 
ntountains on the west and along the south of this zone 
contain primitive rocks of various descriptions, as granite, 
mica-slate, clay-slate, quartz rock, hornblende rock, lime- 
stone, &c. In different parts these rocks seem traversed 
by augite greenstone or secondary traps. The secondary 
sandstones and limestones connected with these ranges not 
having been accurately described, we cannot venture any 

* The long continuance of the easterly in comparison of the westerly 
wind, may explain how it happens that the whole country of Egypt has 
not ere this **«» swallowed upbvthe sand-flood of the Desert. 

" z 



266 AFRICAN GOLD. 

conjecture as to their geological nature. At Gambia there 
is only sand ; but opposite the town there are islands of 
red decomposed granite. At Goree the rock is a fine 
basalt, which takes a regular prismatic form, similar to the 
Giants' Causeway.* 

Vast tracts of flat country, partly rich and cultivated, 
partly desert and sandy, extend to the eastern limit, in- 
cluding Soudan, of which the great kingdoms are Houssa 
and Bornou. In the flat and desert regions, salt lakes and 
natron lakes, and salt and natron springs, are met with. 
Deds of rock-salt occur in different places, as at Teleg, 
north of Timbuctoo, half a day's journey from Taudeny. 
From this place is exported all the salt from Timbuctoo to 
Jenne, and from that town to Soudan. The salt is there 
disposed in beds several feet thick : it is mined into large 
slabs, which are afterward sawn into blocks for the market. 
These mines form the riches of the country. 

African Gold. — This continent, as is well known, affords 
a considerable quantity of gold, which is found in the form 
of rolled pieces, or in minute grains, named gold dusty in 
the alluvium of rivers, lakes, valleys, and the wide-spread- 
ing sand of the vast Desert. The northern parts of Africa 
afford but little gold ; while in the countries to the south 
of the Great Desert, there are tracts remarkable for the 
quantity of gold they contain. Thus the flat country, which 
extends from the foot of the mountains in which are situ- 
ated the sources of the Gambia, Senegal, and Niger, has, 
from an early period, afforded gold. Bambouk, which is 
situated to the north-west of these mountains, furnishes the 
greatest part of the gold which is sold on the western coast 
of Africa, as well as that which is brought to Morocco, 
Fez, Algiers, Cairo, and Alexandria. The gold, as is often 
the case, is accompanied with grains of iron ore, probably 
the magnetic or black iron ore. Gold mines occur to the 
south of Timbuctoo. The people employed in these mines 
are Bambarra negroes, who become wealthy, as all the 
particles of gold under a certain weight (12 mizams) belong 
to them. Pieces of gold, weighing several ounces, are 
sometimes found there. The country of Kordofan, to the 
south-east of the Great Desert, affords a considerable quantity 

* Geol. Tr., vol. i., New Series, p. 418. 



THOMAS PARK'S ACCOUNT OF ACCRA. 267 

of gold. The precious metal found in that country is 
brought to market by the negroes, in quills of the ostrich 
and vulture. This territory, it would appear, was known 
to the ancients, who regarded Ethiopia as a country rich in 
gold. Sulphur is said to occur in Darfur. 

4. Great Table-land of Africa. — Of the table-land itself 
we know very little, — the geological details we are now to 
lay before our readers being principally illustrative of the 
mountain-ranges and acclivities that surround this elevated 
plateau. 

Geology of the Coast from Sierra Leone to Cape Negro, 
— We shall trace the geological phenomena from Sierra 
Leone to Cape Negro. The hills around Sierra Leone are 
of granite, or rather of a porphyritic granitic syenite, in 
which tourmaline crystals occur.* We know nothing 
whatever of the geology of the Grain Coast and Ivory 
Coast of Guinea. The Gold Coast is so named from the 
great trade in gold dust carried on there, which has given 
rise to many European settlements. We are told that in 
the interior there are mountains of granite, gneiss, and 
quartz, and that the gold is collected from the alluvial sands 
and clays formed from these rocks. Nothing particular is 
known of the rocks or soils of the Slave Coast. 

Our young friend and pupil, Thomas Park, son of the 
celebrated but unfortunate Mungo Park, possessing the 
enthusiasm and courage of his father, determined on tra- 
versing Africa, with the view of ascertaining the history of 
his father's fate, at that time in some degree unknown, and 
also of enlarging our knowledge of its natural history and 
geography. He was landed by order of government at 
Accra, on the west coast, in 5° N. The last letter we re- 
ceived from this promising young traveller, — for shortly 
after the commencement of his journey he perished, — was 
as follows: — " Accra, 17 th September, 1827. — I intend to 
set off to-morrow morning. I have been, as you know, 
three months here, during which time I have been princi- 
pally busy with the study of the Ashantee language- Some 
time ago I made an excursion cf about fifty miles into the 
interior, by way of experiment, and did not fail to look 
around me and notice the rocks and other natural produc- 

* Geol. Tr., vol.i., New Series, p. 418. 



% 



368 GEOLOGY OF BENIN AND ANfcui.A 

tions. I have only time to say, that the valley of Accra is 
about 12 miles in breadth, and 50 miles in length; the 
bottom is covered with a soft sandstone, and this sandstone, 
in one place, was observed resting upon clay-slate. The 
mountains forming the sides of this long valley, as far as I 
could observe, appear composed of quartz rock and clay- 
slate, alternating with each other, and disposed in strata 
ranging S.S.W. and N.N.E., the dip from 30° to 80° (the 
direction of the dip not mentioned). The quartz rock con- 
tains grains of gold, as I ascertained by careful examination. 
In some blocks of rock (syenite) I noticed a good many crys- 
tals of sphene, and in one place saw what I considered to 
be black manganese ore. It is very hard and heavy, and 
is fashioned by the Ashantees into balls* The cover of 
alluvium, in the bottom of the valley and extending down to 
the seacoast, is of such a nature as to lead me to conjecture 
that it is of marine origin, and, therefore, that the sea for- 
merly extended a long way inland. The bases of the hills 
are richly clothed with trees ; but these diminish in num- 
ber towards the coast, where there occurs only a bush here 
and there." 

The occurrence of gold in the quartz rock, as ascertained 
by Mr. Park, is a very interesting observation, as it allows 
us to infer that probably much of the gold collected in 
Africa may have been derived originally from this kind of 
rock, which, in its broken down and disintegrated state, 
may have formed the sands and gravels in which gold dust 
is generally found. 

In Benin there are mountains (those of Cameroon on the 
seacoast) said to be 13,000 feet high. The Congo district, 
through which the Zaire flows, was examined for gome dis- 
tance up the river. The rocks met with were granite, 
syenite, primitive greenstone^ gneiss, mica-slate, clay-slate, 
and primitive limestone or marble. 

The kingdom of Angola contains salt pits, from which 
are extracted large slabs of solid rock-salt. According to 
Battel, beds of rock-salt, three feet thick, extend over a con- 
siderable part of the province of Dembea. 

The mines of Loango and Benguela furnish good iron. 
Copper and silver ores are said also to occur in Angola, 
particularly in the kingdom of Majomba. There are also 
some considerable mines of copper in Anziko. 



DISTRIBUTION OF MOUNTAINS, ETC. 269 

Bamba, situated on the coast, has large salt pits. Its 
mountains, rich in metals, extend as far as Angola. The 
province of Sandi contains ores of iron and of yellow cop- 
per ore. 

The coast from Cape Negro, in lat. 16° S., to the mouth 
of the Orange River, an extent upwards of one thousand 
miles, consists of sand hills, without a tree or drop of 
water, having in this great space only three bays, which 
are completely exposed to the north-west wind, viz. the 
Great Fish Bay, Walvisch Bay, and Angra Pequina. The 
geology of this coast is entirely unknown. 

Cape of Good Hope District. — This district is bounded 
on the north and east by the Orange and Fish Rivers ; on 
the west and south by the ocean. The country extends 
from S. lat. 26° to S. lat. 33° 55' 40", that of the Cape of 
Good Hope. It includes the country inhabited by the 
Hottentot race and the Boshuanas. 

Distribution of the Chains of Mountains, Plains, and Val- 
leys or Kloofs. — Two great chains of mountains run paral- 
lel with the western coast, having between them and the 
coast a sandy plain from«five to ten miles in breadth. From 
the most easterly of these two chains branch off three 
others, running in a direction parallel with the equator, 
between which are the like number of terraces, including 
altogether a space of between two and three degrees of 
latitude. The two southernmost of these chains are united 
at several points with the western, and form the vast 
ridges which, under the names Zwartebergen or Black 
Mountains, run like a steep wall from west to east, broken 
only at intervals by the streams which flow from them from 
the Karroo. The two principal of these chains terminate 
at Kromme Rivers' Bay and at Algoa Bay. Smaller 
branches run down to Mossel Bay and Plattenbergs Bay. 
The level country between the southern chain and the coast 
constantly decreases in breadth, from the spot where this 
chain branches off from the western mountains till it is lost 
near Kromme Rivers' Bay. Towards the north several 
long and spacious valleys run between the chains of the 
Black Mountains, the principal of which are, the Kokman's 
Kloof, Kango, the Valley of the Elephant River, and Long 
Kloof. It is only at a few points, and even at these not without 
some danger and difficulty, that the Black Mountains can 
Z2 



270 DISTRIBUTION OF MOUNTAINS, ETC. 

De crossed to the terrace north of them, and which is some 
thousand feet higher than the other two terraces, known 
under the name Great Karroo.* The tract enclosed between 
Ihese two chains of mountains is partly fertile, but inter- 
spersed with tracts of arid clay-land called Karroo. This 
plain or terrace, forming the third terrace of Southern Africa, 
about 300 miles in length and 80 in breadth, and principally 
a parched desert, occupies the whole of that very large 
space lying between the Black Mountains and the third 
great branch from the western hills, called the Nieuweveld 
Mountains. These latter again unite themselves, after run- 
ning for a long extent from west to east, with another chain 
of mountains running from north to south, forming at their 
junction that remarkable group of mountains called the 
Sneuwbergen or Snow Mountains. The Nieuweveld and 
Sneuwberg Mountains are said to be the highest in Southern 
Africa, some of them being 10,000 feet above the level of 
the sea. The country, from this vast range of mountains 
to the northern boundary of the Cape Colony, may be con- 
sidered as a lofty plain, part indeed of the great Table-land 
of Africa^ free from large mountains, but here and there 
varied with ranges and hills of moderate dimensions, having 
very few rivers, and all of these nearly dried up in summer : 
quite destitute of trees and grass, but every where covered 
with bushes springing out of a naked red soil, deprived of 
moisture during a great part of the year. The bushes are 
not more than a foot or two in height, excepting various 
kinds of lycium, and almost exclusively belong to the natu- . 
ral order of composite flowers. One general cast of fea- 
tures, not peculiar, however, to this district, pervades all 
these vegetables, — a minute and arid foliage. Yet on these 
all the cattle browse, and such wild animals as are herbivo- 
rous. The mountains vary in form ; the most prevalent 
shape is the tabular ; and of these splendid displays occur 
in many parts of the country, which are well represented 
in the plates in Professor Lichtenstein's Travels, and also 
in those of Mr. Burchell. Deep and extensive cliffs are of 
frequent occurrence, exhibiting all the magnificent scenery 
so characteristic of the great sandstone or quartz formation, 

* The word Karroo, written Karro by Burchell, belongs to the Hot- 
tentot language, and signifies dry or arid. 



KARROO PLAINS. 271 

which predominates in Southern Africa. The mountain- 
ranges are in many places traversed by deep valleys, named 
kloofs. These are the passes that lead across from one part 
of the country to the other, and which appear to have been 
originally vast rents, which have become wider by the action 
of the atmosphere and running water. The inclined plain, 
or space between the most southern range of mountains and 
the seacoast, varies from 20 to 60 miles in breadth, and, 
reckoning from the interior of the country, forms the third 
terrace of Southern Africa. The flat tract enclosed between 
the southern chain and the Zwarteberg forms the second 
terrace. The vast tract, or the Great Karroo, contained 
between the Zwarteberg and the Nieuweveld Gebirgte, is 
the first terrace. The second and first terraces, which con- 
tain so much Karroo ground, may formerly have been inland 
seas or lakes. The great bank of gravel, sand, and clay 
which ranges along the coast and under the sea, from the 
Cape of Good Hope to Natal, and to south lat. 37°, may be 
considered as another terrace. 

Description of the Karroo Plains. — The Karroo ground, 
which forms so striking a feature in the external aspect of 
the Cape district, is loam or sandy clay, mixed with parti- 
cles of ochre of iron. Lichtenstein says it is not more than 
a foot in thickness. This may apply to some, but by no 
means to the greater number of localities. From the nature 
of the soil, and other concomitant causes, the vegetation 
must at all times be very meager ; and in summer, when 
the sun has dried the soil to the hardness of brick, it ceases 
almost entirely. The mesembryanthemum, and some other 
succulent plants ; some kinds of gorteria, of bergia, and of 
-aster s> whose roots, like the bulbs of lilacious plants, nature 
has fortified with a tenfold net of fibres under the upper 
rind, to protect them against the hardened clay : such plants 
alone resist the destructive nature of this inhospitable soil. 
As soon as, in the cooler season, the rains begin to fall 
and penetrate into the hard layer of loam, these fibres im- 
bibe the moisture, and, pushing aside the clay, the germ 
of the plant, under their protection, begins to shoot, and in. 
a few days the arid waste is covered with a delicate green 
covering. Soon after, myriads of flowers ornament the 
whole surface. " The mild midday sun," says Lichten- 
stein, " expands the radiated crowns of the mesembryan- 



272 KARROO PLAINS. 

themums and gorterise, and the young green of the plants 
is almost hidden by the glowing colours of their full-blown 
flowers, while the whole air is perfumed with the most 
fragrant odour. The odour is more particularly delightful, 
when, after a calm day, the sun declines, and the warm 
breath of the flowers rests quietly on the plain. At this 
time the whole dreary desert is transformed into one con- 
tinued garden of flowers. The colonist, with his herds 
and his flocks, leaves the Snowy Mountains, and, descending 
into the plain, there finds a plentiful and wholesome supply 
of food for the animals ; while troops of the tall ostrich 
and the wandering antelope, driven also from the heights, 
share the repast, and enliven the scene. But how soon is 
the country again deprived of all its glory ! It scarcely 
continues more than one month, unless late rains, which 
must not often be expected, call forth the plants again into 
new life. As the days begin to lengthen, the increasing 
power of the midday ray checks once more the lately awa- 
kened powers of vegetation. The flowers soon fade and 
fall, the stems and leaves dry, and the hard coat of soil 
locks up the germs until the rains return ; the succulent 
plants alone still furnish food for the herds and flocks. The 
streams soon begin to dry, the springs almost cease to flow, 
till at length the universal drought compels the colonists to 
return to the mountains ; yet even then they quit the plain 
with reluctance, and the flocks, accustomed to endure thirst, 
still linger behind, feeding on the succulent plants, which 
afford at once food and drink, and are particularly salutary 
to those that bear wool. Every day, however, the Karroo 
becomes more and more solitary, and by the end of Sep- 
tember it is wholly deserted. The hardened clay bursts 
into a thousand cracks, which evince to the traveller the 
great power of an African sun. Every trace of verdure is 
vanished, and the hard red soil is covered over with a brown 
dust, formed from the ashes of the dried and withered 
plants. Yet among these ashes is the seed nourished that 
is to produce future generations, and the relics of one year's 
vegetation furnishes manure that is to cherish the germs till 
the next year's rain again brings them forth." 

Lichtenstein thus describes his first view of the Great 
Karroo : — " The space between the mountain-ranges is the 
Great Karroo, as it is called a parched and arid plain* 



GEOGNOSY OF THE CAPE PENINSULA. 2/3 

stretching out to such an extent that the vast hills by which 
it is terminated are almost lost in the distance. The beds 
of numberless little rivers cross, like veins, in a thousand 
directions, this enormous space ; the course of them might 
in some places be clearly distinguished by the dark-green of 
the mimosas which spread along their banks. Excepting 
these, nowhere, as far as the eye could reach, was a tree 
to be seen, nor even a shrub, or any signs whatever 
of life." 

As the geology of the country in the vicinity of Cape 
Town is that best known to us of any part of Southern 
Africa, we shall first describe the arrangements observed in 
that quarter, and afterward notice what is known of the 
rocks of other parts of this division of Africa. 

Geognosy of the Peninsula of the Cape of Good Hope. — > 
The peninsula of the Gape of Good Hope is a mountainous 
ridge, stretching nearly north and south for forty or fifty 
miles, and connected on the east side, and near its northern 
extremity, with the main body of Africa, by a flat sandy 
isthmus, about ten miles broad, having Table Bay on the 
north of it, and False Bay on the south. The southern ex- 
tremity of this peninsula, extending into the sea, with 
False Bay on the east, and the ocean on the south and west, 
is properly the (Jape of Good Hope, and is nearly the most 
southern point of Africa. At this point the chain of moun- 
tains which forms the peninsula, though rugged, is lower 
than at the north end, where it is terminated by Table 
Mountain and two others, which form an amphitheatre 
overlooking Table Bay, and opening to the north. The 
mountains of the ridges extending from the Cape to the 
termination of the peninsula in the north, vary in shape ; 
but the most frequent forms incline more or less to sharp 
conical. The three mountains that terminate the peninsula 
on the north are, the Table Mountain in the middle ; the 
Lion's Head, sometimes called the Sugar Loaf, on the west 
side ; and the Devil's Peak on the east. The Lion's 
Head, which is about 2160 feet above the level of the sea, 
is separated from the Table Mountain by a valley that de- 
scends to the depth of 1500 or 2000 feet below the summit 
of the Table Mountain, which is itself 3582 above the level 
of the sea. On the west of the Lion's Head there is a 
lower eminence, named the Lion's Rump, 1142 feet high, 



274 GEOGNOSY OF THE CAPE PENINSULA. 

from which the ground declines gradually to the sea. The 
amphitheatre formed by these three mountains is about five 
or six miles in diameter, in the centre of which is placed 
Cape Town. 

The rocks of which this peninsula is composed are few in 
number, and of simple structure. They are granite, gneiss, 
clay-slate, greywacke, quartz rock, sandstone, and augite- 
greenstone, or dolerite. Of these the most abundant are 
granite and sandstone ; the next in frequency are clay-slate 
and greywacke ; and the least frequent are gneiss and do- 
lerite. In some parts, as at the Steinberg, the sandstone is 
traversed by veins of red iron ore. Abel mentions a vein 
six feet wide, and extending for upwards of one hundred 
feet. 

The strata of the Neptunian rocks, or those whose forma- 
tion is connected with the operation of water, generally 
range from west to east, — that is, across the peninsula. 
The southern and middle parts of the peninsula have been 
but imperfectly examined. Captain Hall remarks, that the 
same general structure and relations seem to occur all over 
the peninsula as in the mountains around Cape Town. 
The late Dr. Clarke Abel, in the account of his voyage to 
China, gives the following description of a fine display of 
stratification in a mountain that faces the sea, in the neigh- 
bourhood of Simon's Bay, which was pointed out to him 
by one of our pupils, an active and intelligent officer, Cap- 
tain Wauchope, R. N. : — " The sandstone forming the 
upper part of the mountain is of a reddish colour, very 
crystalline in its structure, and approaching, in some speci- 
mens, to quartz rock. Immediately beneath the sandstone 
is a bed of compact dark-red argillaceous sandstone, passing, 
in many places, into slate of the same colour. This bed 
rests upon another of very coarse loosely-combined sand- 
stone, resembling gravel. Under this is another layer of 
dark-red sandstone, terminating in a conglomerate, consist- 
ing of decomposed crystals of felspar, and of rounded and 
angular fragments of quartz, from the size of a millet-seed 
to that of a plover's egg, imbedded in a red sandstone base. 
Beneath the conglomerate commences a bed, which I at 
first took for granite, and which is composed of the consti- 
tuents of granite in a decomposed state, intermixed with 
green steatite-, and a sufficient quantity of the red sandstone 



THE lion's rump. 275 

to give it a reddish hue. The felspar of the bed is decom- 
posed, and exactly resembles that of the conglomerate 
above it. The mica seems, in a good measure, to have 
passed into steatite. The quartz is in small crystals, fre- 
quently having their angles rounded. This bed is several 
feet in thickness, and gradually terminates in the granite ; 
but the precise line of junction I was unable to trace. The 
appearances thus were in the following order : — 

1. Horizontally-stratified sandstone. 

2. Bed of compact dark-red sandstone, passing into 
slate. 

3. A bed of coarse sandstone resembling gravel. 

4. A second layer of compact dark-red sandstone, passing, 

5. Into a conglomerate, consisting of decomposed crystals 
of felspar, and fragments of quartz in a sandstone basis. 

6. A bed composed of the decomposed constituents of 
granite and red sandstone, passing, 

7. Into granite." 

The above is the only spot to the southward of the range 
of mountains near Cape Town which has been particularly 
described in a geognostical view. To the northward of 
Cape Town, it is said that the mountains are principally 
composed of the same rocks as those which occur through- 
out the peninsula, and whose characters and position have 
been examined with considerable attention in the Lion's 
Rump, Lion's Head, Table Mountain, and Devil's Peak, by 
our pupils the late Dr. Clarke Abel, Dr. Adam, now of 
Calcutta, the late Captain Carmichael, and also by Captain 
Basil Hall. From the observations furnished to us by these 
naturalists, and also from accounts published by them, we 
have drawn up the following description : — 

Lion's Rump. — The Lion's Rump rises by an easy 
ascent, and, excepting at one or two points, is covered to 
the summit with a thin soil, bearing a scanty vegetation. 
Dr. Adam informs us that vegetables appeared to be most 
luxuriant over the sandstone of the peninsula, but less so 
on the soil formed by the decomposition of the granite, and, 
least of all, over clay-slate, as on the Lion's Rump, where 
clay-slate is the predominating rock. Although this latter 
hill has been cultivated in some places, yet it presents a 



276 the lion's head. 

stunted vegetation ; while the upper part of Lion's Head 
and Table Mountain, though much more elevated, display- 
rich and more vigorous shrubs.* It is composed of clay- 
slate, greywacke, and sandstone. The clay-slate and grey- 
wacke appear to alternate, and the sandstone rests upon 
the slate. The slate is distinctly stratified ; the strata on 
one side of the hill dip to the north, on the opposite to the 
south, and in the middle or centre of the hill they are 
nearly perpendicular. Numerous veins of compact quartz 
traverse the strata in all directions. A quarry, which has 
been wrought to a considerable extent on the east side of 
the hill, exhibits a fine view of the structure of the clay- 
slate, and in one place there is a bed of sandstone in the 
slate. The sandstone, which is of a yellowish-gray colour, 
is composed of grains of quartz, with disseminated felspar 
and scales of mica. 

Lion's Head. — The strata of clay-slate continue to the 
base of the Lion's Head. Here they are succeeded by 
strata of compact gneiss, composed of gray felspar and 
quartz, with much dark-brown mica in small scales. It 
much resembles the gneiss interposed between granite and 
clay-slate in the transition mountains in the south of Scot- 
land ; as at CrifFel, and near New Galloway in Kirkcud- 
brightshire. The gneiss is distinctly stratified, and the 
strata in some places dip under the next rock, which is gra- 
nite ; in others, they dip from it. Numerous transitions are 
observed from the granite into the gneiss ; and in the same 
bed of compact gneiss, one part will be gneiss, while another 
will be granite. Beds of granite, in some places, appear 
to alternate with the gneiss. Veins of granite, from a 
few inches in width to several feet, traverse the gneiss and 
clay-slate, and are observed projecting from the body of the 
granite, and shooting among the neighbouring slaty strata* 

* Constantia, so celebrated for its wine, is situated at the bottom of 
the range leading from Cape Town to Simon's Bay, where sandstone is 
the predominating rock ; and the soil of the farms of the neighbouring 
ground appears to be composed of it, in a state of decomposition, and of 
vegetable mould. That it is the sandstone which essentially contributes 
to the excellence of the soil Dr. Adam is inclined to believe, from having 
observed several spots at the foot of the same range, nearer Cape Town, 
with a soil richer in vegetabe mould, but whose produce was held much 
inferior. The principal rock there was granite, and its superincumbent 
sandstone has suffered less decomposition than that adjoining to Con 
stantia, 



TABLE MOUNTAIN. 277 

Granite forms a considerable portion of the Lion's Head. 
It is composed of pale-red felspar, gray quartz, and brown- 
ish-black mica. It is more frequently coarse granular than 
fine granular, and is often porphyritic. It is occasionally 
traversed by veins of quartz, or of felspar, or of granite. 
In some parts the granite is traversed by veins of dolerite or 
augite- greenstone, and one of these veins, as described by 
Dr. Abel, appears divided and shifted. This appearance is 
represented in No. 3 of Dr. Abel's Geological Views at the 
Cape of Good Hope. As we ascend the mountain, we find 
the granite succeeded first by a reddish sandstone, and this, 
in its turn, is covered by a brown sandstone that reaches to 
the summit. These sandstones are principally composed 
of granular concretions of quartz, with a few disseminated 
grains of felspar and scales of mica. The sandstone is 
distinctly stratified, and the strata dip at a small angle all 
around the Lion's Head and the north-west side of the 
Table Mountain. On the opposite side of the latter, how- 
ever, from the seabeach, we may see it, beyond the gorges, 
making an angle with the horizon of not less than 45°. 
Dr. Adams says, *5 During a ride to Constantia one day, I 
observed this high inclination more particularly on the rid .re 
extending from the Devil's Peak by Simon's Bay ; and, 
having afterward visited the spot on purpose, found the 
sandstone very much elevated in its position above the common 
level of the strata, and, at one place, nearly perpendicular to 
the horizon, running from north-east to south-west." 

Table Mountain.— The next and highest mountain, the 
Table Mountain, presents many interesting appearances. 
The lowest part of the mountain, on one side, is red sand- 
stone ; higher up, and apparently rising from under it, are 
clay-slate, greywacke, and gneiss. These rocks are dis- 
posed in strata, arranged nearly in a vertical position, with 
an east and west direction. They are intermingled with 
granite, which is the next rock on the ascent of the moun- 
tain. The granite, at its line of junction with the slate, 
both gneiss and clay-slate, is often much intermixed with 
them ; and numerous veins of granite shoot f-oni the mass 
of the granite rock itself into the bounding strata. At a 
higher level than the granite, sandstone makes its appear- 
ance, and continues upwards to the summit of the moun- 
tain. The lowest of the summit sandstone is of a reddish 
A a 



278 

colour ; the next above it is of a yellowish colour ; and tfrfl 
upper part, or that on the summit, is of a gray or beautifully 
white colour, and sometimes so coarsely ornnular as to ap- 
pear in the state of conglomerate, In many places, the sand- 
stone passes into quart: rock; and is rcrt/ highly crystalline. 
The sandstone is distinctly stratified) and nearly horizontal. 

Devil's Peak. — The most easterly mountain of the group 
we are describing) named the Devil's Peak, agrees with 
Table Mountain in the nature and arrangement of the rocks 
of which it is composed. The lower part of the mountain 
exhibits strata of clay-slate; these, as we ascend, are suc- 
ceeded by granite ; and the upper parts and summit are of 
the usual varieties of sandstone.* 

* The following particulars, in regard to the mountains near Cape 
Town, were communicated to us by captain Carmichael. The Table 
Mountain ami I. ion's Head rest upon a base of granite; Green Point, 
Table Valley, and the Devil's Peak, on a base of slate, of which the whole 
of the Lion's Hack or Rump is composed. The granite extends up to the 
rocky crown Of the Lion's Head,— atl elevation of nearly 1500 feet; and 
the declivity of the mountain is strewed with enormous masses of it. 

On the side of the Table Mountain, the space on which the granite ia 
visible is contracted to about 500 feet, and occupies tin* centre of the decli 

vny. At the Spot called Sea Point, the granite and slate come in contact. 
In the space of 200 yards along the shore, the reel is a mixture of these 

two rocks, each predominating in the mass as you approach its respec- 
tive side, where it is pure and unmixed. In some parts they form alter- 
nating layers; m others, fragments of the slate, of all figures and sites, 
lie imbedded in the granite, which appears to have pervaded their mi- 
nutest fissures. Between this mixed mass, however, and this pure slate, 
there is interposed a rampart Of irramte, apparently different from the 
common sort, which, for about '200 yards, is -unmixed ; but, as it ap- 
proaches the slate, becomes mingled with it in the same ma> nei as the 
granite. From this to Green Point, and extending through Robben 
Island, a distance of about twelve miles, the slate is pure, and disposed 
in nearly vertical strata. 

Close to the path which leads from Cape Town to the summit of the 
Table Mountain, there runs a stream, which, at the point where the gra- 
nite and slate meet, has carried qff the superincumbent earth, and ex- 
posed the surface of the rock from ten to twenty yards in diameter, and 
about 200 yards in length, dipping at an angle of about 80°, Along the 
whole of tins space the slate is |i torsoeted by veins of granite, varying 
from three feet in width to as many lines. The veins branch off in all 
directions, some Straight, others twisted in the most fantastic convolu- 
tions. In the face of the rampart which borders the channel on each 
side, the veins are equally conspicuous. In walking along the shore, 
from Campo Hay to Sea Point, we meet with numerous veins of GUgite- 
grtenstone in the granite, varying in breadth from an inch to ten feet, 
and branching in as many directions as those of the granite with the 
slate. Here also are to be seen numerous fragments of slate in the 
granite. 



UPRAISING OF THE PENINSULA. 279 

To what Class of Rocks do those of the Cape Peninsula 
belong 1 — To what class or classes of formations of the geog- 
nostical series are we to refer the rocks of the mountains 
just described? From the clay-slate containing beds of 
greywacke, we infer that the slate belongs to the transi- 
tion class; — from the granite being intermingled with the 
slate, we consider it as probably belonging to the same 
epoch. The sandstone is generally considered as belonging 
to the secondary class, — an opinion, the accuracy of which 
may be questioned ; because we find this rock in beds in the 
slate, and also passing into and alternating with beds of a 
transition rock, namely, quartz rock. This being the case, 
we are disposed to refer it also to the transition class ; and 
the great mass of it to the newest or uppermost portion of 
the series. 

At what Period did the Cape Rocks rise above the Level of 
the Sea 1 — This question has been variously answered, ac- 
cording to the geological creed of those who have considered 
the subject. The Neptunians maintain, on plausible grounds, 
that all these rocks are crystallizations and deposites from 
the ancient waters of the globe, which have taken place in 
succession, — the granite being the first formed, the slate 
and greywacke the next, and last of all, the principal portion 
of the sandstone ; that, during the deposition of these 
different rocks, the level of the ocean gradually sunk ; and 
that thus the mountains rose above its surface. The Plu- 
tonians, or the supporters of the igneous origin of the gra- 
nular crystallized rocks, view the formation in a different 
manner. Some of the advocates of the igneous system 
maintain, that the slate was first deposited in horizontal 
strata, at the bottom of the sea, — that these strata were 
afterward softened by heat, and raised from their original 
horizontal to their present highly inclined position, by the 
action of fluid granite rising from the interior of the earth ; 
and that in this way the granite and slate mountains were 
elevated above the sea : that the sea again invaded the land 
and covered it to a great depth ; and that from this ocean 
was deposited the sandstone strata : that the sea again 

The sandstone which forms the upper part of the Table Mountain, 
Lion's Head, and Devil's Peak lies on horizontal strata, intersected by 
v* tical fissures. It is of a siliceous nature, and encloses rounded no- 
dules of quartz. 



280 RECENT EMERGENCE OF LAND DISPROVED. 

retired, and left exposed mountains, and chains of mountains 
of sandstone. Other Plutonians are of opinion that the 
slate, greywacke, and sandstone were deposited, in uninter- 
rupted succession, at the bottom of the sea ; and that the 
whole mass of stratified matter was raised gradually or sud- 
denly above the level of the ocean, forming mountains, chains 
of mountains, and table-lands, by that igneous agency which 
sent up the granite, and probably also the augite-greenstone 
rocks. This, of the two Plutonian views, is the most plausible, 
and indeed is that explanation which may be viewed as most 
in accordance with prevailing geological hypotheses. 

Vegetables incrusted with Calcareous Sand confounded with 
Coral, and adduced as a Proof of the very recent Emergence, 
from the Ocean, of the Lands supporting them. — Somewhat 
to the eastward of Simon's Town is a large bank, one hun- 
dred feet above the level of the sea, formed by an accumula- 
tion of sand and shells, brought there by the action of the 
wind. On this bank Abel observed a number of cylindrical 
calcareous bodies scattered about, which at first appeared 
like bleached bones. On a closer examination many of them 
are found to be branched, and others are discovered rising 
through the soil, and ramifying from a stem beneath, thicker 
than themselves. They are incrustations of sand and cal- 
careous matter on vegetables. Similar bodies have been 
found by Vancouver, Flinders, and Perron, on the shores of 
New-Holland, at considerable elevations. The first-men- 
tioned traveller considered them all as coral, and as proofs 
of the land having been lately withdrawn from the dominion 
of the waters. The last has described two kinds of sub- 
stances ; the one he considers as coral, the other as incrusta- 
tions on vegetables. Captain Flinders, at page 48, vol. i. 
of his Voyage Round the World, says, — " The appearance 
of this country along the coast resembles, in most respects, 
that of Africa about the Cape of Good Hope. The surface 
seemed to be chiefly composed of sand, mixed with decayed 
vegetables, varying exceedingly in point of richness, and, 
although bearing a great similarity, yet indicating a soil su 
perior in quality to that in the immediate neighbourhood ot 
Cape Town. The principal component part of this country 
appeared to be coral ; and it would seem that its elevation 
above the ocean is of modern date, not only from the shores 
and the bank which extends along the coast being, generally 



RECENT EMERGENCE OF LAND DISPROVED. 281 

speaking, composed of coral, as was evident by our lead 
never descending to the bottom without bringing up coral on 
its return, but by coral being found on the highest hills we 
ascended, particularly on the summit of Bald Head, which 
is sufficiently above the level of the sea to be seen 12 or 14 
leagues distant. Here the coral was entirely in its original 
state, particularly in one level spot, comprehending about 
eight acres, which produced not the least herbage on the 
white sand that occupied this space, through which the 
branches of coral protruded, and were found standing exactly 
like those seen in the beds of coral beneath the surface of 
the sea, with ramifications of different sizes, some not half 
an inch, others four or five inches in circumference. In 
these fields of coral (if the term field be allowable), of which 
there were several, seashells were in great abundance, — 
some nearly in a perfect state, still adhering to the coral, 
others in different stages of decay. The coral was friable 
in various degrees ; the extremities of the branches, some 
•of which were nearly four feet above the sand, were easily 
reduced to powder, while those close to or under the sur- 
face, required some small force to break them from the rocky 
foundation from whence they appeared to spring. I have 
seen coral in many places at a considerable distance from 
the sea ; but in no other instance have I seen it so elevated 
and in such a state of perfection." Captain Flinders, at 
page 63, vol. i. of his Voyage to Terra Australis, has the 
following remarks on the same appearance : — " Captain 
Vancouver mentions having found, upon the top of Bald 
Head, branches of coral protruding through the sand, exactly 
like those seen in the coral beds beneath the surface of the 
sea,-— a circumstance which should seem to bespeak this 
country to have emerged from the ocean at no very distant 
period of time. This curious fact I was desirous to verify, 
and his description was proved to be correct. I found also 
two broken columns of stone, three or four feet high, formed 
like stumps of trees, and of a thickness superior to the body 
of a man ; but whether they were of coral, or of wood now 
petrified, or whether they might not have been calcareous 
rocks, worn into that particular form by the weather, I can- 
not determine. Their elevation above the present level of 
he sea could not have been less than 400 feet." 
Perron says, " On breaking the branches where the in- 
A a2 



282 GEOLOGY OF THE TABLE-LAND. 

crustation is recent, we observe the woody texture contained 
in a solid case, and without any remarkable alteration ; but 
in proportion as the calcareous envelope increases, the 
wood becomes disorganized, and changes insensibly into a 
dry and black powder." From this state he supposes the 
centre gradually to increase in solidity till the whole mass 
becomes a mere sandstone, and nothing but an arborescent 
form indicates the ancient state of vegetation. 

The incrustations near Simon's Town are of a similar na- 
ture to those found in New-Holland, because, says Dr. 
Abel, the descriptions of authors correspond with the ap- 
pearances I have witnessed, and because I have compared 
a specimen brought from Bald Head in New-Holland, by Mr. 
Brown, with those I obtained at the Cape, and can trace 
no essential difference, either in the external characters or 
chemical composition. It follows from this statement, that 
Flinders and Vancouver have confounded vegetable in- 
crustations with true corals ; and hence the reasoning on 
their supposed submarine origin, and modern rising of the 
Bald Head, <fec. above the level of the ocean, is incorrect. 

Geology of the North and South, and East and West 
Ranges of Mountains. — The ranges of mountains which 
run northward from the Cape Peninsula to Orange or Ga- 
riep River, in the points where examined, exhibited granite 
and slate, with vast deposites of sandstone or quartz rock 
with numerous table-shaped summits, — thus showing a 
similarity of composition in these mountains to those of the 
Cape Peninsula. 

The three great ranges of mountains that run from east 
to west, according to the reports of travellers, are of the 
same general nature, and eminently characterized by the 
vast abundance of sandstone reposing in horizontal strata 
upon the granite and slate, forming the middle, and very 
often the higher parts of the chains. 

Geology of the Table-land. — From the third range on- 
wards to lat. 30° S., the prevailing rock in the plains and 
hills is sandstone. At Dwaal River, the frontier of the 
colony, there are rocks of augite-greenstone and basalt, 
probably in veins traversing the sandstone. Rocks of the 
same description, disposed in beautiful globular concretions 
(not boulders, as stated by Burchell), occur near to Kaabes 
Kraal, 29° S. lat., probably in veins traversing the horizon- 
tal sandstone of that district. The Karreebergen, or Dry 



THE SIBILO OF THE AFRICANS. 283 

Mountains, beyond the limits of the colony, form a range 
from five to ten miles broad, and range through the coun- 
try to an unknown distance, from N.E. to S.W. These 
mountains are principally composed of sandstone, in hori- 
zontal strata, and every where exhibit beautiful table- 
shaped summits. According to Burchell, " The sandstone 
rock continues onward to lat. 30° S., to near Modde or 
Mud Gap, where true quartz strata and vesicular trap-rocks 
make their appearance. In lat. 29° 15' 32" S., mountains, 
called the Asbestos Mountains, of clay-sbte, disposed in 
horizontal strata, occur ; there, layers of asbestos occur in 
the slate. This asbestos is blue and yellow, and the fibres 
sometimes nearly three inches in length." In the same 
mountain, according to Burchell, green opal and pitchstone 
also occur. A range of black craggy mountains extends 
from the Kloof, in the Asbestos Mountains ; the rocks are 
very probably trap. Further to the north, at Klaarwater, 
are vast beds of horizontally stratified limestone, without 
organic remains. 

Account of the Sibilo of the Africans. — At Sensavan, or 
Blenk-Klip, nearly in S. lat. 28°, there is a ridge of quartz 
rock impregnated with micaceous iron ore, which, in many 
places, is collected into nests of considerable magnitude. 
This ore o^f iron is known throughout Southern Africa by 
the name Sibilo. Hither all the surrounding nations re- 
pair for a supply of that ornamental and, in their eyes, 
valuable substance. It forms, in some degree, an article of 
barter with more distant tribes, and even among them- 
selves ; so that the use of it extends over at least 5° of lati- 
tude. It is of a reddish colour, soft and greasy to the feel, 
— its particles adhering to the skin, and staining it of a 
deep red colour. The skin, says Burchell, is not easily 
freed from these glossy particles, even by repeated washing. 
The mode of preparing and using it is, simply grinding it 
with grease, and smearing it generally over the body, but 
chiefly on the head ; and the hair is often so much clotted 
and loaded with an accumulation of it, that the clots look 
like lumps of the ore. 

From the north of Sensavan to Lattakoo, the rocks are 
limestone without petrifactions, granite, and slate. In con- 
clusion, it may be remarked, that as far as is known at pre- 
sent, the whole of the table-land of Southern Africa, to the 



284 SOUTH AFRICAN LAKES. 

jiorth of the Orange or Gariep River, is composed of hori- 
zontal limestone without petrifactions, clay-slate, sandstone 
or quartz rock, granite, greenstone, serpentine, and pot- 
stone. The most remarkable geological feature of the 
country is the horizontality of the strata, — thus intimating 
their undisturbed state. 

Geological Survey of the Karroo Ground recommended. — 
To geological travellers we recommend a particular exa- 
mination of the compact clay-ground called Karroo, which, 
if a deposite from ancient lakes, may prove to be a tertiary 
formation. The surface only of the Karroo ground has 
been described ; for, as far as our information goes, no ac- 
counts have been published of its internal structure and 
arrangement. It is by the study of the structure and 
arrangement of its layers, and the careful examination of 
the minerals, rocks, organic remains (if any) it contains, 
and its chemical composition, that we can acquire a dis- 
tinct conception of its true nature. 



The rivers of Africa, as far as connected with those re- 
gions of this continent described in the present volume, 
have been already particularly considered. As much, how- 
ever, still remains to be known in regard to therg, we may 
add, that the attention of travellers, in investigating their 
natural history, should, besides their geographical distri- 
bution, be directed towards the various circumstances 
connected with their fall, velocity, quantity of water they 
contain, their eddies, freshes, and bore, if any such occur ; 
also, the nature of their beds, inundations, occultations, 
temperature at the surface, or at different depths ; their 
cascades and rapids ; their water, as to colour, trans- 
parency, and chemical composition ; and they should not 
omit descriptions of the river scenery considered by itself, 
and also in reference to the surrounding country ; and, lastly, 
the climate, and effects of the climate, and of the scenery 
of the rivers, on man, ought also to form objects of inquiry. 

SOUTH AFRICAN LAKES. 

In Southern Africa, lakes are but seldom met with, and 
among these, some few are salt. The most considerable 
salt lake hitherto met with by travellers, is that near to 



SOUTH AFRICAN SPRINGS. 28D 

Algoa Bay. It is resorted to by the inhabitants from very 
distant parts of the colony, for the purpose of procuring salt 
for their own consumption or for sale. It is situated in 
a plain considerably elevated above the level of the sea, is 
of an oval form, and about three miles in circumference. 
It is named Zoutpa?i or Saltpan, an appropriate name, as 
the sun and wind do here what is effected in salt-works by 
artificial heat. When Mr. Barrow examined it, the greatest 
part of its bottom was covered with one continued body of 
salt, like a sheet of ice, the crystals of which were so 
united that they formed a solid mass as hard as rock. The 
dry south-easterly winds of summer, agitating the water of 
the lake, produce on the margin a fine, light, powdery salt, 
like flakes of snow. This is equally beautiful as the re- 
fined salt of England. Another salt lake, according to 
Lichtenstein, occurs on the western coast of the colony near 
to Elephant River, from which the inhabitants of the dis- 
trict supply themselves with this necessary of life. A salt 
lake of considerable extent is said to occur in about S. lat. 
30°, in the upper part of the river-district of the Orange 
River. The most northern, of which I have been able to 
gain any intelligence, says Burchell, is one about the 27° 
S. lat., eastward of Lattakoo. The Karroo clay, as already 
mentioned, is probably a deposite from lake water, at a time 
when the tracts where it occurs were covered with water. 

Particulars to be attended to in investigating the Natural 
History of Lakes. — Travellers, in examining and describing 
lakes, ought to ascertain their relations to rivers and springs, 
their magnitude, depth, temperature at the surface and at 
various depths, their colours, occuitations, and agitations. 
The water of the lake ought to be submitted to chemical 
analysis, in order to ascertain whether it is fresh water, 
salt water, alkaline water, calcareous water, &c. Their 
mode of formation ought also to be considered, and the 
peculiar characters of lake scenery and climate should be 
attended to. 

SOUTH AFRICAN SPRINGS. 

The springs of Southern Africa may be divided into com- 
mon, hot, and mineral. 

Common Springs. — Although much rain falls in the 
Cape district, it affords but comparatively few springs. 



286 SOUTH AFRICAN SPRINGS. 

This paucity of springs may be explained, as Mr. Barrow 
remarks, by attending to the nature of the rocks, and their 
mode of arrangement. Where two of the formations of 
the district occur together, as sandstone and granite for 
example, and the sandstone lies upon the granite, whose 
upper surface is above the level of the neighbouring coun- 
try, springs will occur abundantly around the line of junc- 
tion of the two formations. In this case the water perco- 
lates through the sandstone, which is a porous rock ; but 
its farther progress downwards is arrested by the granite, 
which is a dense and compact rock, and therefore, when it 
reaches the surface of the granite, it accumulates there, and 
either remains stationary, or flows along its surface, until 
it rinds an opening at the surface, where it issues forth in 
the form of springs. On the contrary, if the sandstone de- 
posite rests upon granite, whose upper surface is below the 
level of the surrounding country, the percolating water, on 
reaching the granite, will accumulate there, and flow off by 
rents into the lower and distant parts of the country, but 
few springs will be observed issuing from the sandstone. 

Hot Springs. — The only hot springs particularly de- 
scribed by travellers are those of Brand Valley and Zwarte- 
berg. 

Brand Valley. — The hot spring here is larger than that 
at Zwarteberg. It forms a shallow pond of about fifty feet 
across, of the most transparent water, in the middle of which 
several strong springs bubble up through a bottom of loose 
white sand, and afterward flowing in a very copious stream, 
become a rivulet, which, for at least a mile and a half, con- 
tinues so hot, that its course along the valley may, at any 
time of the day, but more particularly early in the/ morning, 
be traced by the steam which perpetually arises from it. 
The pond is sheltered by a small clump of white poplars, 
which thrive perfectly well, although growing at the very 
edge of the water, and bedewed with the hot steam, which 
ascends to their highest branches. No plant, it seems, can 
grow in the water itself; but the margins of the bank are 
thickly covered with sedge, particularly cyperus fascicularis. 
Royena glabra, a species of rhus, and a variety of plants, 
stand within the influence of its heat. The thermometer, 
when plunged into the pond, rose only to 144° Fahrenheit, 
but to the hand it felt nearly scalding hot ; so that the 



SOUTH AFRICAN SPRINGS. 237 

immersion could scarcely be endured for a few seconds. The 
water is pure and tasteless, and is used for all domestic pur- 
poses. Nothing resembling a deposition is any where ob- 
servable ; nor are its banks or channel at all discoloured. 
The hill, from the foot of which it issues, has no remark- 
able appearance ; at least, there is none of that black pon- 
derous iron ore, or earth, noticed at the Zwarteberg baths. 
At the distance, of about 300 yards from the source, two 
bath-houses have been built over the stream, the heat of 
which, even here, is almost greater than can be borne by a 
person not gradually inured to it. Between the spring and 
the bath, where the stream has run a sufficient distance in 
the open air to allow it time to become a few degrees cooler, 
the bottom of the rivulet is covered with a beautiful sea- 
green conferva, waving gracefully beneath the water, like 
long tresses of hair. Specimens of rocks from this district, 
sent me by Dr. Smith, show that the waters of this spring 
issue from quartz rock, containing grains of white felspar 
in the state of porcelain earth. 

Warm Bath at Zwarteberg. — This is a short mountainous 
ridge, running east and west, and of secondary height. 
From the lower part of its southern front projects a small 
flat hill, out of the upper part of which issue, in several 
places, hot springs, the waters of which raise the thermo- 
meter to 118° of Fahrenheit. The water deposites, in the 
channels along which it runs, an orange-coloured ochre of 
iron ; but, after a course of 200 or 300 yards, ceases to dis- 
colour the ground. It contains iron and sulphur, and 
hence has a slightly chalybeate taste. Within three yards 
of these hot springs there rises another, the water of which 
is pure and tasteless, but is not warmer than that of the 
common springs of the country. Probably the springs 
here, as at Brand Valley, issue from quartz rock. In the 
vicinity of the springs, as I observe by inspection of speci- 
mens from Dr. Smith, bog-iron ore occurs. 

Warm springs also occur in the valley of the Western 
Elephant River ; others near the Eastern Elephant River, 
in Kamnasi Land ; and a third behind Kokman's (Kog- 
man's) Kloof; but all are of lower temperature than those 
of the Zwarteberg and Brand Valley. There is also a 
warm spring on the northern side of the Gariep, in Great 
Namaqualand. 



288 SOUTH AFRICAN SPRINGS. 

Springs of mineral waters, of the common temperature, 
have been noticed in various places ; one near Graaf 
Reynet, and another not far from Uitenhage, and one also 
in the Tarka ; but their chemical composition has not been 
accurately ascertained. 

Remarks on the Importance of a Knowledge of the Natural 
History and Chemical Composition of Springs. —The springs 
of the African continent have hitherto been almost entirely 
neglected by travellers and naturalists, either through in- 
difference or ignorance. Now, however, that scientific men 
have settled in different parts of that quarter of the globe, 
particularly in Southern Africa, accurate details may be ex- 
pected in regard to their various kinds, whether temporary, 
perenniaJ, intermittent, periodical, spouting, sublacustrine, 
subfmvian, or submarine ; their magnitude and colour ; the 
temperature of common springs, at different elevations 
above the level of the sea, and during different seasons of 
the year ; and the range of temperature of warm and hot 
springs. But in order to complete the history of the springs 
of the country, we must, besides, describe not only the 
rock or rocks from which they flow, but also ascertain the 
various relations of these rocks to those of the neighbouring 
mineral formations. Chemical investigations will afford 
the necessary details as to the different mineral matters that 
enter into their composition. The remarkable animal sub- 
stance met with in some European springs, and probably 
of more frequent occurrence than is believed, and which 
may be derived from the strata containing animal fossil re- 
mains, through which the spring waters percolate, ought 
to be looked for, because its presence will afford to the 
chemist an opportunity o f examining a substance of a very 
curious nature ; to the geologist, data for interesting spe- 
culation ; and to the physician, the means of judging of (he 
mode of action of those waters containing it, in scrofula 
and other diseases in which its use is said to be so bene- 
ficial. It may happen here, as in other countries, that the 
springs deposite around their sources, and at greater or 
less distances from them, much of the dissolved and sus- 
pended foreign matter they contained, and thus give rise to 
mineral formations, the external aspect and mode of ar- 
rangement of which will illustrate geological phenomena 
observed among the older rock-formations of which the crust 



CONCLUSION. 289 

of the earth is composed. Lastly, when it is known that 
hot springs are intimately connected with subterranean 
igneous agency, — that power which formerly acted so ex- 
tensively in forming and modifying the rocks of which the 
crust of the earth is composed, and which even now con- 
tinues, although on a less extensive scale, to occasion con- 
siderable changes on the surface of the earth, — their natural 
and chemical history becomes very interesting from the 
light they shed over many important geological phenomena. 
Geology of Caffraria, Natal, fyc. — The geology of the 
countries of CafFraria and Natal is entirely unknown. In 
Sofala there are said to be mines of silver ; and gold is col- 
lected from the sands and gravels of some districts. The 
kingdom of Monomotapa, as it is called, at the distance 
inland of about forty days' journey from Sofala, affords gold, 
topazes, and rubies. The geology of the country from De- 
lagoa Bay, in lat. 26° S., to Cape Delgado, in lat. 10° S., 
is unknown ; a small quantity of gold-dust is collected in 
it. From Cape Delgado to the equator, the country which 
is under the dominion of the imam of Mascat, is unknown 
in a geological point of view. The country from the 
equator to the Straits of Babelmandeb has never been 
visited by any geologist. 

CONCLUSION. 

From the preceding details it results, 

1. That of all the quarters of the globe, Africa has the 
most truly tropical climate. 

2. That notwithstanding its nearly insular form, its ex- 
tent of coast is much less in proportion to its area than in 
the other quarters of the globe. 

3. That the peculiar condition of the human species, the 
distribution and even the aspect of the lower animals and 
plants, and many of the characters of the African climate, 
are connected with its comparatively limited extent of sea- 
coast, its extensive deserts, and arid soil. 

4. That from the maritime situation of Sierra Leone and 
its colonization by Britain, and the connexion of the southern 
parts of the Great Table-land with the British settlements 
on the southern coasts of Africa, we may conjecture that the 
civilization of the negroes (if that interesting race Lui not 
destined to extirpation, as has been the fete of the abori- 

Bb 



290 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

gines of the New World,) will be effected from these two 
quarters, through the energy, enterprise, and perseverance of 
missionaries, well instructed in the various useful arts of life, 
and in the simple and pure principles of Christianity. 

5. That its springs, lakes, rivers, bays, and arms of the 
sea are fewer in number, and present more uniformity of 
aspect than is generally the case ill other parts of the 
world. 

6. That it is eminently characterized by its vast central 
and sandy deserts, its great southern table-land, and the 
vast expanses of Karroo ground. 

7. That of all the rock formations, those of limest me 
and sandstone are the most frequent and most widely dis- 
tributed : that natron, a rare dcposite in other countries, is 
comparatively abundant in Africa ; that salt is very widely 
distributed, though hi some districts it is wholly deficient ; 
but coal is wanting. And the precious stones, so frequent 
in other tropical regions, are here of rare occurrence. 

8. That the metals, although met with in different quar- 
ters, are nowhere abundant; and that, of all the- different 
metals, gold is the most generally distributed. 

9. That no active or extinct volcanoes have hitherto been 
met with. 

10. Lastly, that Africa is less frequently agitated bv 
earthquakes than the other continents. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Natural History of the Quadrupeds of Africa.* 

A knowledge of the geographical distribution of animals, 
and of the laws which regulate that distribution, has excited 
a considerable degree of attention since the time of Buffon, 
whose writings may fairly be regarded as the first to create 
an interest in favour of this branch of natural history. The 

* I think it proper to apprize the reader 1 hat in the three following 
chapters, devoted to the Zoology of Africa, several well-known and in- 
teresting species, such as the Egyptian Ichneumon, the Fennec of Bruce, 




Group of African Animals— In front, in the centre, the Rhinoceros ; to 
the right, the Hippopotamus and Ourang-outang. In the centre hack 
ground, the Giraffe ;— to the left, Antelopes and Zebra.— [p. 390.] 



. 



QUADRtJPEDS. 291 

Blight observance of the physical characters and other local 
peculiarities of countries, which prevailed prior to that 
period, rendered the precise induction of general views a 
matter of extreme difficulty ; and, as navigators and naval 
adventurers of every class were indifferent to the accuracy of 
science, and ignorant of the valuable results which might 
spring from a more correct record of the localities of species, 
our knowledge of these localities did not increase in the sama 
proportion as the species themselves. Even at the present 
day our collections are frequently rendered of little avail for 
the purposes of zoological geography, by the products of one 
country being intermingled with those of another : thus, the 
splendidly-feathered tribes of Rio Janeiro are frequently 
combined with the scarcely less brilliant birds of New-Hol- 
land and Van Diemen's Land ; while the student of Tndian 
entomology labours under a similar chance of error, in find- 
ing the Asiatic insects arranged by the merchant along with 
an additional supply from the Cape of Good Hope. These 
and other sources of confusion have long retarded our know- 
ledge of the geography of animals. 

The habits and dispositions of animals result from their 
structure, and that structure is invariably adapted to the 
local circumstances under which they are naturally placed. 
It must not, however, be supposed that the geographical 
distribution of species can ever form a proper basis for their 
zoological classification. Many natural families and genera 
are so extensively distributed as to be almost equally cha- 
racteristic of every quarter of the globe. The wolf and the 
reindeer are common both to Europe and America ; and the 
lion occurs in the forests of Asia as well as among the Afri- 
can deserts. These, however, are exceptions to the general 
rule ; for it will be found, on examination, that every great 
continent, or extensive tract of country, though possessed 
of features which, to a certain degree, assimilate it to those 
of other regions, is yet distinguished by many characters 
entirely peculiar to itself, and which constitute its zoologi- 
cal aspect. Thus the kangaroo and the ornithorynchus are 
characteristic of, because peculiar to, New-Holland ; the 
lamas and vicunhas are oidy found in South America ; the 

the Sacred Ibis, &c, are intentionally omitted, as being characteristic of 
certain portions of the African continent, the general history of which 
«{9es not fall within the scope of the present volume.— J. W. 



292 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

ostrich and the camelopard are proper to Africa ; the lemurs 
to Madagascar ; the pongo, or gigantic orang-outang, to 
the great Asiatic islands; and the common toad to the 
western countries of Europe. So also, in the order of quad- 
rumanous, or four-handed animals, such as apes and mon- 
keys, the division called Platyrrhini, distinguished by the 
breadth of the partition which separates the nostrils, occurs* 
only in South America ; while another great division, named 
Catarrhini, of which the nostrils are contiguous, is found 
only in the Old World. A naturalist would therefore tind 
no difficulty in determining, merely from a glance at the 
muzzle, whether a species of this order was native to the 
ancient continent or the new. 

Wherever the. observant traveller turns his steps, he finds 
in every country animals peculiar to itself ; and many of 
these, occupying the most remote and insulated spots, are 
the most inadequately supplied with the means of locomo- 
tion. The mode of their original dispersion, whether from 
a single position, or from multiplied centres of creation, has 
therefore been a theme which has not unfrequently exercised 
the ingenuity of naturalists. The subject, however, seems 
to be one which scarcely falls within the scope of human 
intelligence ; although a most ample source of interesting 
and legitimate speculation may be made to flow from an ac- 
curate and extended record of facts illustrative of their pre- 
sent distribution, the amount of genera and species, the re- 
lation which that amount bears to the animal productions of 
other countries, and similar numerical details. 

In the present chapter, we propose to exhibit a brief 
sketch of the natural history of the greater portion of the 
African continent ; and, although our limits will not permit 
us to draw an extended parallel between the zoology of that 
country and the animal products of the other quarters of the 
globe, we shall yet have occasion, at an after-period of our 
series, to survey the characteristic features of all the other 
great divisions of the earth, — and, in so doing, may afford 
the means of an accurate comparison between these and the 
subjects of our present inquiry. In the mean time, however, 
we shall not abstain from an occasional reference to the 
analogous species of other countries, whenever we shall be 
thereby enabled to throw any additional light upon the his 
tory of the African tribes. 



QUADRUPEDS. 293 

Most nearly allied to the human race of all the species of 
the brute creation, the black or African orang-outang (Simui 
troglodytes of Linnaeus) may be allowed to assume the fore- 
most place in our enumeration. It is native to no other 
country than Africa, although we are as yet unacquainted 
with the extent of territory which it occupies in that conti- 
nent. Angola, the banks of the river Congo, and all the 
districts which border the Gulf of Guinea, are the localities 
in which it has as yet most frequently occurred. Its history, 
like that of its Asiatic congener, the red orang-outang (Si- 
rnia satyrus, Linn.), is still involved in considerable obscu- 
rity. Its habits, in the adult state, are extremely retired 
and 'wary ; and the young alone have fallen into the hands 
of Europeans in modern thanes. Great exaggeration pre- 
vails in the narratives of all the earlier travellers regarding 
the sagacity of this singular animal. Its external figure and 
general conformation no doubt greatly resemble those of the 
human race, and hence its actions have to us much of the 
semblance of human wisdom. But a remarkable circum- 
stance in the mental constitution of this tribe of animals dis- 
proves their fancied alliance to mankind* — the young are 
gentle, obedient, and extremely docile, — but as they increase 
m years their dispositions undergo a striking change, and 
their truly brutal nature is evinced by an unusual degree of 
untractable ferocity. In the wild state they are inferior both 
to the dog and the elephant in sagacity, although their ana- 
logous structure never fails to impress the beholder with a 
belief that they resemble man in mental character as well as 
in corporeal form. Two species of African orang-outang 
seem to have been described by the earlier writers. These 
were probably the young and old of the same species seen 
apart at different times, for later researches do not lead to 
the belief of there being more than one. 

" The greatest of these two monsters," says Battell, " is 
called po?igo in their language ; and the less is called engeco. 
This pongo is exactly proportioned like a man ; but he is 
more like a giant in stature ; for he is very tall, and hath a 
man's face, hollow-eyed, with long hair upon his brows. 
His face and ears are without hair, and his hands also. 
His body is full of hair, but not very thick, and it is of a 
dunnish colour. Ke dirTereth not from a man but in his 
legs, for they have no calf. He goeth always upon his legs, 
Bb2 



294 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

and cameth his hands clasped on the nape of his neck when 
he goeth upon the ground. They sleep in the trees, and build 
shelters from the rain. They feed upon fruit that they find 
in the woods, and upon nuts ; for they eat no kind of flesh. 
They cannot speak, and appear to have no more understand- 
ing than a beast. The people of the country, when they 
travel in the woods, make fires where they sleep in the 
night ; and in the morning, when they are gone, the pongos 
will come and sit about the fire till it goeth out ; for they 
have no understanding to lay the wood together, or any 
means to light it. They go many together, and often kill 
the negroes that travel in the woods. Many times they fall 
upon the elephants which come to feed where they be, and 
so beat them with their clubbed fists, and with pieces of 
wood, that they will run roaring away from them. Those 
pongos are seldom or never taken alive, because they are so 
strong that ten men cannot hold one of them ; but yet they 
take many of their young ones with poisoned arrows. The. 
young pongo hangeth on his mother's belly, with his hands 
fast clasped about her ; so that, when the country people kill 
any of the females, they take the one which hangeth fast 
upon its mother, and, being thus domesticated and trained 
up from their infant state, become extremely familiar and 
tame, and are found useful in many employments about the 
house." 

Purchas informs us, on the authority of a personal con- 
versation with Battell, that a pongo on one occasion carried 
off a young e egro, who lived for an entire season in the so- 
ciety of these animals ; that, on his return, the negro stated 
they had never injured him, but, on the contrary, were 
greatly delighted with his company ; and that the females 
especially showed a great predilection for him, and not only 
brought him abundance of nuts and wild fruits, but carefully 
and courageously defended him from the attacks of serpents 
and beasts of prey. 

With the exception of such information as has been 
drawn from the observance of one or two young individuals 
sent alive to Europe, our knowledge of this species has not 
increased. We have become aware of the inaccuracy and 
exaggeration of previous statements, but have not our- 
selves succeeded in filling up the picture. It is indeed sin- 
gular, that when the history cf animals inhabiting New- 



QUADRUPEDS. 295 

Holland, or the most distant islands of the Indan Ocean, 
are annually receiving so much new and correct illustration, 
the most remarkable species of the brute creation, inhabit- 
ing a comparatively neighbouring country, should have 
remained for about 2000 years under the shade of an almost 
fabulous name, and that the " wild man of the woods" 
should express all we yet really know of the African orang- 
outang in the adult state. 

Africa produces many other species of the monkey tribe. 
The promontory most familiar to the Mediterranean voy- 
ager, called Apes' Mountain, not far from the opposing point 
of Gibraltar, is so called from the occurrence of these ani- 
mals ; and the rock of the last-named fortress is itself the 
only strong-hold which they possess in Europe. They do 
not, however, occur in desert countries, commonly so called ; 
that is, the open sandy plains of Africa are altogether un- 
fitted for the dwellings of these pigmy people. Apes of 
all kinds are a sylvan race. Their structure being such as 
to render them unfit for the exercise of rapid movements, 
either on all-fours or in an upright position, the inclined and 
densely intermingled branches of trees are their favourite 
places of resort. Their feet in climbing being equally use- 
ful with their hands, great additional power and activity are 
thus derived. Among the shady and otherwise unpeopled 
arbours which skirt the banks of the yet mysterious rivers 
of Africa, they dwell in single pairs or in congregated 
troops, according to the instincts of each particular kind ; 
and seated on the tops of ancient trees, or swinging from 
pendant boughs, they play their fantastic tricks, secure alike 
from the wily serpent during the day, and the panther 
which prowls by night. 

The pigmy of the ancients is a small Ethiopian species, 
resembling the Barbary ape, but smaller in size, not much 
exceeding the dimensions of a cat. Its tribes were for- 
merly alleged at certain seasons to wage a bloody war with 
cranes. 

The callithrix, or green monkey (Simia Sabaa), is not 
unfrequently exhibited in menageries, where, however, its 
beautiful colour usually fades into a dingy olive. It occurs 
in various parts of Africa, both along the western and eastern 
shores. The name of callithrix, which signifies beautiful 
hair, was employed by Homer to denote the more ornamental 



296 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

colouring of the coat of various animals. It was applied 
by Greek authors, some centuries posterior to the time of 
Homer, to certain monkeys, and is now used specifically to 
distinguish the species in question. M. Adanson informs 
us that the woods of Podor, along the river Niger, are filled 
with green monkeys. He could discover them only by the 
branches which they cast down from the tops of the trees ; 
for they were otherwise so silent, as well as nimble, that he 
could scarcely obtain a glimpse of them in their natural po- 
sitions. After he had shot two or three, the rest became 
alarmed, and endeavoured to shelter themselves behind the 
trunks and larger branches. Some descended to the ground ; 
but the greater number of those that remained unwounded, 
sprung with great activity from the top of one tree to an- 
other. " During this operation," says the traveller, " I 
continued to shoot, and in the space of twenty fathoms I 
killed twenty-three in less than an hour, and not one of 
them uttered the smallest cry, though they frequently as- 
sembled in troops, grinded their teeth, and assumed a 
threatening aspect, as if they meant to attack me." 

The white-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus petaurista of 
Desmarets) inhabits the coast of Guinea. When taken 
young it is easily tamed, and is then exceedingly lively and 
diverting. The adult animals in the wild state are cunning 
and fierce, and avoid the vicinity of mankind. 

The amount of species in this order of animals is so 
great, that, even confined as we are to those of a single 
continent, a volume would scarcely suffice for the most su- 
perficial sketch of their history, were we to include the 
whole of the African species. We must therefore be very 
brief in what remains to be told of one or two additional 
kinds. Next to the magot or Barbary ape, one of the best 
known in Europe is the mona or varied monkey. It is 
native to the northern parts of Africa, and appears to have 
been known to the Greeks under the name of kebos. This 
species is of an affectionate nature in confinement, and is 
more than usually susceptible of education. Some consider 
him synonymous with the Abyssinian ape described by 
Ludolphe, which that author saw in great troops turning 
over stones, with entomological zeal, in search of worms 
and insects. 

It was probably a species allied to that last mentioned in 



QUADRUPEDS. 297 

its habits, of which an amusing though tragical account is 
given by Le Vaillant. In one of his excursions he killed a 
female monkey which carried a young one on her back. 
The young one continued to cling to her dead parent till 
they reached their evening quarters, and the assistance of 
a negro was even then required to disengage it. No sooner, 
however, did it feel itself alone than it darted towards a 
wooden block, on which hung the peruke of Le Vaillant's 
father. To this it clung most pertinaciously by its fore- 
paws ; and such was the strength of this deceptive instinct, 
that it remained in the same position for about three weeks, 
all this time evidently mistaking the wig for its mother. It 
was fed from time to time with goats' milk, and at length 
emancipated itself voluntarily, by quitting the fostering care 
of the peruke. The confidence which it ere long assumed, 
and the amusing familiarity of its manners, soon rendered 
it the favourite of the family. The unsuspecting naturalist 
had however introduced a wolf in sheep's clothing into his 
dwelling ; for one morning, on entering his chamber, the 
door of which he had imprudently left open, he beheld his 
young favourite making a hearty breakfast on a very noble 
collection of insects. In the first transports of his anger 
he resolved to strangle the monkey in his arms ; but his 
rage immediately gave place to pity, when he perceived that 
the crime of its voracity had carried the punishment along 
with it. In eating the beetles, it had swallowed several of 
the pins on which they were transfixed. Its agony conse 
quently *became great, and all his efforts were unable to 
preserve its life. 

Baboons are fully more characteristic of Africa, as a 
generic group, than any other of the quadrumanous order. 
With the exception of the dog- faced baboon ( Cynocephalus 
hamadryas), a native of the environs of Mocha, and other 
eastern shores of the Red Sea, we are not acquainted with 
any species of the genus which is not of African origin. 
They are, without doubt, notwithstanding their approxima- 
tion in some respects to the human form, the most disgust- 
ing of the brute creation. Perhaps it is this very resem- 
blance which excites our dislike. In spite of their occa- 
sionally brilliant colouring, and the length and beauty of 
their fur, there is an expression of moral deformity in their 
aspect which is exceedingly revolting, and they seem pos 



298 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

sessed of all the most odious and degrading propensities of 
the most God-forsaken of the human race. No other spe- 
cies exhibit so strong a concentration of the animal propen- 
sities. They are the most sensual of the brute creation. 

The strength of some baboons is enormous. By mus- 
cular energy alone, and without the assistance of their 
huge tusks, they will tear the strongest dog to pieces in a 
few minutes. During one of Mr. BurchelPs hunting par- 
ties, two of his dogs were seized by baboons (Cercopithecus 
ursinus) ; one of them was killed on the spot by having his 
jugular artery bit through, and the other was severely dis- 
abled, and a part of his ribs laid bare. Fortunately, with 
all their fierceness, their propensities are not carnivorous, 
otherwise the most dreaded of the feline race would prove 
less formidable foes. In a state of nature they feed princi- 
pally on roots and fruits, although the eggs and young of 
birds probably also form a part of their sustenance. 



As in the present summary we are guided rather by zoo- 
logical than geographical principles, with a view chiefly to 
avoid the repeated mention of the same animal, a necessity 
from which we could scarcely escape were we to trace suc- 
cessively the natural history of each African district, in- 
stead of that of the species or genera themselves in system- 
atic progression, — we shall proceed to the next group in 
our scientific arrangements, that of the Lemurs. 

This singular tribe of animals inhabits the great island 
of Madagascar, and the not distant island of Anjouan, one 
of the group of the Comora archipelago, — countries usually 
regarded as belonging to the African division of our globe. 
In common with apes and monkeys, they are quadrumanous 
animals, — that is, possessed of the power of prehension 
both with their fore and hind feet. They differ, however, 
among other characters, in having a rather long and pointed 
nail, instead of a flattened one, on the first finger of the 
hind foot. 

The ring-tailed lemur (L. catta, Linn.) is the most beau- 
tiful of the genus. Its motions are characterized by a 
great degree of elegant lightness : its manners are mild, 
and its nature very harmless. Its size is equal to that of a 
large cat, and its wool is extremely soft and fine. The tail 
is about twice the length of the whole body, and is marked 



QUADRUPEDS. 299 

by numerous rings of alternate white and black. In the 
wild state it is gregarious, travelling in sma'l troops of 
thirty or forty. When taken young, it is easily tamed. It 
delights in sunshine ; and in a state of domestication pre- 
fers the iireside to most other places. Its general attitude 
resembles that of a squirrel ; and it feeds on fruits. In 
captivity it becomes more omnivorous, and shows no distaste 
to animal food. The voice of the ruffed lemur is remark- 
able for its extraordinary strength, which strikes with fear 
and astonishment those who hear it for the first time. It 
may be likened to that of the Beelzebub or howling monkey, 
which fills the woods of Guiana with its dreadful cries. 
The power of voice in both cases no doubt proceeds from a 
peculiar structure of the larynx. 

Allied to the lemurs, and till lately generically classed 
with these animals, is the indri, which, according to Son- 
nerat, the natives of Madagascar domesticate and train up 
as we do the dog to the sports of the field. It is a large 
animal, measuring about three feet and a half in length ; 
its prevailing colour is blackish, with the visage and lower 
part of the abdomen gray, and the rump white. It is dis- 
tinguished by having no tail. Its voice resembles the cry- 
ing of an infant, and its manners, like those of its conge- 
ners, are mild and docile. 

The last of the quadrumanous tribe peculiar to Africa, 
which we shall take occasion to mention, are the galagos. 
The Senegal galago is about the size of a common rat. 
They dwell on trees like monkeys and squirrels, are mild 
in their manners, and feed on insects, which they catch 
in their fore paws, and devour with great avidity. The 
great galago inhabits the eastern coast of Africa, and a spe- 
cies occurs in the island of Madagascar. 

We now approach the more carnivorous tribes ; and, 
passing over the genus Galeopithecus, the distribution of 
which is confined to Asia and its islands, we enter upon 
the Vesper tiliones, or great family of the bats, now divided 
into many genera. Of these the greater proportion belong 
to South America and the East Indies ; so that onr notice 
of the African species may be short, without being really 
much curtailed. Several species occur along the western 
shores ; but the most remarkable is the great bat of Mada- 
gascar, described by Edwards, and regarded by some a* 



300 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

synonymous with the vampyre. A vampyre is in many 
respects an imaginary monster, whose chief amusement 
consists in sucking the blood of sleeping persons. The 
name is connected with a superstition absurd in itself, 
though sufficiently fearful to such as believed in it, which 
prevailed in Poland and Hungary about the year 1732. 
According to this wild belief, certain individuals were sup- 
posed to rise from the grave and suck their friends and re- 
lations to death. Lord Byron has alluded to the fantasy 
in the following well-known lines : — 

" But first, on earth as vampyre sent, 
Thy corse shall from its tomb be rent : 
Then ghastly haunt thy native place, 
And suck the blood of all thy race ; 
There from thy daughter, sister, wife, 
At midnight drain the stream of life ; 
Yet loathe the banquet which perforce 
Must feed thy livid living corse : 
Thy victims ere they yet expire 
Shall know the demon for their sire, 
As cursing thee, thou cursing them, 
Thy flowers are withered on the stem. 
But one that for thy crime must fall, 
The youngest, most beloved of all, 
Shall bless thee with a father's name — 
That word shall wrap thy heart in flame !-*• 
Yet must thou end thy task, and mark 
Her cheek's last tinge, her eye's last spark, 
And the last glassy glance must view 
Which freezes o'er its lifeless blue; 
Then with unhallowed hand shalt tear 
The tresses of her yellow hair, 
Of which in life a lock when shorn, 
Affection's fondest pledge, was worn ; 
But now is borne away by ihee, 
Memorial of thine agony ! 
Wet with thine own best blood shall drip 
Thy gnashing tooth and haggard lip; 
Then stalking to thy sullen grave, 
Go— and with Gouls and Afrits rave ; 
Till these in horror shrink away 
From spectre more accursed than they '" 

Some vague allegations of a somewhat similar nature 
(excepting the resurrectionary faculty) having been ad- 
duced against certain of the bat tribe, Linnaeus named one 
of them Vespertilio vampyrus. The general colour of the 
body is deep reddish brown, brighter on the neck and 
shoulders. The teeth are large and sharp ; the wings 



QUADRUPEDS. 30! 

black, and measuring several feet in extent, and the tail is 
wanting. This apparently formidable animal was supposed 
to perform its deadly operations by inserting its sharp- 
pointed tongue into the vein of a sleeping person, and in so 
delicate and peculiar a manner as to occasion no pain. 
The sleep of the victim was not even disturbed, and the bat, 
by the fanning motion of its wings, produced a delicious 
coolness around, which rendered repose the deeper, till the 
sufferer awoke in eternity. 

Whatever may be the case as regards the propensities 
of some of the South American species, of whose blood- 
sucking disposition Humboldt does not seem to doubt, it 
appears to be the opinion of naturalists that the vampyre- 
bat of Linnaeus is a frugivorous animal, of perfectly inno- 
cuous habits. According to Edwards, it is a native of 
Madagascar. 

Among the smaller insectivorous quadrupeds, several 
kinds of shrew mice (Sorex) inhabit different quarters of 
Africa. The Cape shrew (S. Capensis) dwells in caverns, 
and occurs at the Cape of Good Hope. 

The chrysoclore> or Cape mole, is remarkable for the 
brilliant metallic colours which adorn its fur. Its size is 
rather less than that of the common mole of Europe, and 
there is a resemblance to that species in its general form. 
The fore feet have only three claws, of which the exterior 
is the largest : the hind feet are furnished with five weaker 
claws. Its true country is the Cape of Good Hope, though 
naturalists have been led into error regarding its locality by 
a false indication in the Thesaurus of Seba, by whom Siberia 
is assigned as its native region. 

The tcnrec (Setiger of Cuvier), an animal formerly 
classed with the hedgehogs, inhabits the island of Mada- 
gascar, and may be mentioned as the only known instance 
of a hibernating species indigenous to a warm climate. It 
burrows in the ground, and remains torpid for about three 
months in the year. It usually lies concealed during the 
day, and ventures abroad after sunset in search of fruits 
and herbs. Its body is generally very fat, and is eaten by 
the natives of Madagascar. There are several species of 
the genus, all confined to that island, where, from their 
grunting voices, they are called ground-hogs. One of these 

C G 



302 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

S. ecaudatus) is defended by spinous projections, and ig 
Known to Europeans under the name of the pig-porcupine. 

The rat.eU or honey-eater (Mellivora Cape?isis), is pecu- 
liar to the southern extremity of this continent. The ge- 
neral colour of the upper surface of the ',ody is gray — of the 
under, black, — an unusual contrast, as the inferior parts of 
the fur of most animals are paler than those of the dorsal 
region. Its fore claws are very long. It lives on honey, 
and digs up the nests of wild bees from the deserted bur- 
rows of different animals. It is said to watch the flight and 
motions of a species of cuckoo (the Cuculus indicator) which 
preys on bees. The Hottentots indeed follow the same 
guide, and are also alleged to discover wild honey lodged 
in trees, by observing the bark gnawed around the base by 
the spiteful ratel, which cannot climb. 

We are not acquainted with any animal of the otter kind, 
strictly so called, inhabiting Africa; although Europe, 
Asia, and America are well supplied with several sorts. 
The nearest approach, among the African forms of animal 
life, is presented by the Aonyx Delalandi^ remarkable for its 
feet being either without nails, or for the existence of these 
appendages in a merely rudimentary state on one or two 
toes of the hind feet. It is named Lutra inunguis by some 
naturalists, on account of that peculiarity. This animal 
measures about three feet in length, exclusive of the tail, 
which extends about ten inches ; the fur is soft and thick, 
of a chestnut-brown colour, paler on the flanks, with a mix 
ture of gray about the head. It preys on fish and Crustacea, 
and inhabits the salt pools along the borders of the sea in 
the vicinity of the Cape. 

Canine animals are very generally distributed over the 
surface of our globe. Under that appellation naturalists 
include not only domestic dogs, and all their interminable 
varieties, but wolves, foxes, and jackals. Wolves are cha- 
racteristic of the temperate and northern parts of Europe 
and America. Foxes have a somewhat similar distribution, 
but are more extended in a southern direction; while 
jackals abound in most of the warmer regions of the Old 
World, but, unlike the other two, are unknown in America. 
There are three species of jackall. The Asiatic species 
(Canis aureus) characteristic of, but not peculiar to the 
continent of Asia, is the most widely spread. It occurs 



QUADRUPEDS. 303 

over a great extent of country from India to Palestine, and 
from Egypt and Barbary along the shores and through the 
central deserts of Africa to the Cape of Good Hope. This 
is the species commonly called the lion's provider. It 
hunts in packs ; and the king of beasts, when roused from 
his slumbers by the yells of these creatures in pursuit of 
prey, probably follows the hue and cry, and ere long comes 
in for his share of slaughtered deer or antelope. Tho 
Cape jackall, commonly so called (Canis mesomelanus), re- 
sembles a fox, and is characterized by a triangular mark of 
blackish gray upon the back, broader at the shoulders, and 
finishing in a point at the origin of the tail. It inhabits the 
Cape of Good Hope. Another species (C anthus) is found 
in Senegal. 

Intermediate between the dogs and hyenas may be placed 
a curious African animal, long known to the Cape colonists 
by the name of wild dog. " In the morning," says Mr. 
Burchell, " Philip returned with the oxen ; but reported that, 
in consequence of Abram Abram's neglecting on the night 
before to secure them as usual in the cattle-pound, the wilde 
honden (wild dogs) had bitten off the tails of three. One 
had only lost the brush, but the others were deprived of the 
whole." This species hunts in regular packs, both during 
the night and day ; and it is so rapid in its movements that 
none but the fleetest animals can ensure their safety. 
Sheep fall an easy sacrifice, though the larger cattle are sel- 
dom attacked, except stealthily from behind for the sake of 
snapping off their tails. The want of a tail, in a warm 
country swarming with flies, is a source of the most serious 
annoyance to any quadruped ; and the visits of this hyena- 
dog are therefore much dreaded and suitably guarded 
against. The animal in question is of a more slender form 
than either the striped or the spotted hyena. Its general 
colour is a sandy bay or ochrey yellow, shaded with darker 
hairs ; and the whole body is blotched and brindled with 
black, with here and there a spot of white. Mr. Burchell's 
specimen, which he kept for thirteen months chained up in 
a stable-yard, was extremely ferocious in its nature. It 
became at length in some degree attached to a common dog, 
mth which it used to gambol ; but even the keeper by 
Whom it was fed never ventured to touch it with his hand. 

Africa is the country of hyenas. The spotted specie* 



304 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

(H. Capcnsis, Desm., Canis cr acuta, Linn.) is peculiar to that 
continent, and abounds in its southern extremity. The 
striped species (//. vulgaris, Desm., C. hyicva, Linn.) is 
more characteristic of the northern districts. It is frequent 
III Egypt, Abyssinia, and Nubia, and extends into Syria 
and Persia. It is a disgusting and troublesome animal 
wherever it occurs. It haunts the suburbs, and even pene- 
trates into tbe streets of some eastern cities after sunset, 
preying on offal and stealing the remains of dead carcasses, 
which it prefers to living prey. One of them robbed Bruce 
the traveller of some pounds of tallow candles, by entering 
his tent under cloud of night* 

The animals called civets are found both in Asia and 
Africa. 



We now enter upon the consideration of the feline tribes, 
the most ferocious and bloodthirsty of the brute creation. 
Though the tiger is unknown to Africa, the lion, the king 
of beasts, here reigns with undisputed sway, and is not only 
more numerous, but also more magnificent in his propor- 
tions, than in any other country. Celebrated from the most 
remote antiquity for his courage and magnanimity, this 
truly majestic creature has long been held as symbolical of 
boldness ; and his countenance and general bearing cer- 
tainly imbody our liveliest conceptions of warlike grandeur, 
combined with a certain dignity of aspect not unbefitting 
his assumption of regal sway. Tbe painter, the poet, the 
sculptor, and the rhetorician have alike tried in vain to 
depict the terrors of this grisly king. 

The southern parts of Africa present a variety of the 
lion, of which the mane is nearly black. Tbe Barbary lions 
are brown, with a very thick mane covering the neck and 
shoulders of the male. Those of Senegal are of a more 
yellow hue, with thinner manes. It is unnecessary to enter 
into any minute descriptive; details of this familiarly-known 
animal. 

The ancients sculptured a lion without a mane, which 
some modern writers regard as an extinct, others as a ficti- 
tious species. It occurs on the hierogly pineal monuments 
of Upper Egypt ; and a curious confirmation of its exist- 
ence has been received from Nubia, where, it is alleged, a 
very large and maneless lion has been recently discovered. 



QUADRUPEDS. 305 

Although the life of the lion is limited by BufFon to about 
twenty years, there is no doubt that it usually attains to a 
much greater age. Pompey, who died in the year 1760, 
had been confined in the Tower above seventy years, and 
Another was known to have died there at the age of sixty- 
three. Sparrman and others have impugned the character 
of this noble animal, and alleged that a greater degree of 
timidity exists in his constitution than is compatible with 
courage. It may, however, be given as a piece of safe 
advice to the inexperienced emigrant, not to place too much 
confidence in the cowardice of lions. 

The geographical boundaries of the lion appear to have 
been greatly circumscribed within these last two thousand 
years. Even where it still exists in comparative abundance, 
it is an animal of rare occurrence ; and, from many districts 
where it once abounded, it has now entirely disappeared. 
According to Herodotus, they were once sufficiently common 
both in Thrace and Macedonia ; and they are known to 
have formerly abounded in Asia, from the shores of Syria 
to the banks of the Ganges and the Oxus. By what means 
the Romans contrived to assemble those vast troops which 
they sometimes exhibited at, .their games, it would now be 
difficult to determine ; but we know that Sylla fought to- 
gether one hundred males, and Pompey three hundred and 
fifteen. Those of Sylla were sent by Bocchus, king of 
Mauritania ; but at present a brace of lions would be 
thought a very princely gift from any of the Moorish king- 
doms. Even in the time of Probus, about the middle of 
the third century, one hundred male lions, and the like 
number of females, were exhibited. We may however 
presume that even prior to this period they were considered 
as rather scarce, as the hunting of the lion was forbidden 
to the vulgar, lest the supply required for the circus should 
be diminished. This law was abrogated in the time of Ho- 
norius ; though their entire destruction in so many districts 
was probably not achieved till after the introduction and 
general use of firearms. 

As the northern parts of Africa are known to have been 
thickly peopled during the time in which lions so greatly 
abounded there, we may hence infer that the co-existence 
of the larger carnivorous animals along with the human 
race, is not, as many philosophers have imagined, altogether 
C c2 



306 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

incompatible. They imagine themselves to have seen, m 
the limited actual number of lions and tigers, a guarantee 
of nature, as it has been called, for our preservation, and 
that of animal life, throughout the world. But the truth 
is, as Azara and others have remarked, that these tremen- 
dous creatures rarely attack the human race, except in cases 
of great necessity, or in self-defence. 

Africa produces two other line feline animals, the panther 
and the leopard, on the history of which we shall not at 
present enter. Although they are both well known, and 
frequently exhibited in our menageries, considerable con- 
fusion still exists regarding their natural history and loca- 
lities in the works of zoological writers. Lynxes also occur 
in Africa. 



Passing over the seals and other amphibious quadrupeds, 
of which we know of none characteristic of this continent, 
we come to the order called Glires by naturalists, more fa- 
miliarly named gnawers. Of these the first and most 
beautiful tribe which presents itself is that of the squirrels. 

Few of these inhabit the country now under discussion. 
The forests of America are their familiar homes, and many 
species also occur in India and the Asiatic islands. But 
the African woods are likewise, though to a more limited 
extent, enlivened by the gambols of these graceful creatures. 

The palm-squirrel is somewhat larger than our British 
species. It inhabits the warmer regions of Asia and Africa, 
and dwells on palm-trees. The Madagascar squirrel is 
found in the island of that name ; and the Gingi squirrel, 
so called from its Indian locality, is also alleged to occur at 
the Cape of Good Hope. 



Of the marmot tribe, numerous in the north of Asia and 
America, and represented in Europe by the Alpine species, 
so famous for its long-continued winter sleep, Africa pro- 
duces very few examples. The only one indeed with which 
we are acquainted is the marmot gundi (Arctomys gundi of 
Gmelin), a species resembling the European kind in its 
form, but characterized by having only four toes to each 
foot. The size is that of a rabbit ; its colour reddish ; its 
ears very short, but broad in their openings ; and its locality 
Mount Atlas. 



QUADRUPED3. 307 

We may here notice the genus Bathyergus, peculiar to 
the south of Africa. The sand mole (B. maritiimus), as the 
larger species is usually called, occurs in abundance along 
the sandy shores of the Cape of Good Hope, where it fre- 
quently renders the ground hollow by its excavations, and 
consequently inconvenient, if not dangerous, to horsemen. 
It feeds principally on bulbous roots, such as those of ixise 
and antholyzaR. This animal is of the size of a rabbit. 
It runs awkwardly on the surface, but burrows and makes 
its way under ground with great facility. The other spe- 
cies is known by the name of Cape rat (B. Capcnsis). Its 
habits are similar to those of the species just mentioned, 
but it is considerably smaller, ft is destructive to gardens 
and ornamented pleasure grounds, by throwing up the 
earth, like our European mole, in the course of its subter- 
ranean excavations. A third species has been lately 
described under the name of Bathyergus Hotte?Uolus 9 by 
MM. Lesson and Garnot. 

Another genus found in Africa, though not peculiar to 
that continent, is the Dipus or gerboa. The Egyptian 
gerboa inhabits the environs of Memphis and the Pyramids. 
This species appears to have been known to the ancients 
under the name of two-footed mouse. It is a beautiful 
little animal, remarkable for its extended tail and the great 
length of its hind legs. It is bunted with greyhounds by 
the Arabs of the kingdom of Tripoli. The Prince of Tunis 
presented Bruce with a trained greyhound, which afforded 
him excellent sport in that way. 

The Cape gerboa (D. Cafer), now referred by naturalists 
•to the genus Helamys, is the largest of the tribe. It mea- 
sures one foot two inches from nose to tail, and the tail is 
fifteen inches long. This species is remarkable for its 
great strength and activity. It will spring from twenty to 
thirty feet at a single bound, and inhabits the mountainous 
countries to the north of the Cape of Good Hope. It is 
called the springen haas, or jumping hare, by the Dutch 
colonists. 



Rats and mice, like many other domestic nuisances, are 
now very generally distributed over the globe. Wherever 
European nations have colonized, these small but adven- 
turous creatures have accompanied the merchant or the 



30? NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

mariner ; and from the forlorn settlements of the fur traders 
of North America to the populous cities of the south of 
Asia, their furtive habits of destruction are the source of 
equal annoyance. The common brown rat {Mas decuma- 
uua) is a native of India, and only made its appearance 
among the western nations of Europe from the beginning 
to the middle of last century. The original country of its 
predecessor, the black rat(M. rattus), if not unknown, is at 
least doubtful. It is not mentioned by any ancient writer, 
and appears to have been introduced into Europe during the 
middle ages. Within the last half century it has been 
nearly extirpated from most of the great European cities 
by its larger and more powerful rival. 

Africa produces several species of murine animals, not 
hitherto recognised in any other region of the earth. A 
beautiful small species, discovered and described by Sparr- 
man, is native to the forest countries of the Slangen River, 
eastward from the Cape of Good Hope. It appears, how- 
ever, to be nearly allied to the genus arvicola, which includes 
the water-rats. 

The dormice (genus Myoxus) are also represented iij 
Africa by a species communicated by Pennant to Sir Joseph 
Banks, and said to have been discovered among the moun 
tains of Sneuwberg, above 800 miles beyond the C^pe. Its 
size is that of a squirrel ; but its shape is broader and mora 
flattened. Nothing is known of its habits or history, or 
whether, as Martial supposed of another species of dor- 
mouse, it not only hibernates but is fattened by repose, — 
Tota mi hi dormitur hiems ; et pinguior illo 
Tempore sum quo me mi nisi somnus aliL 



We have seen, even in the course of the slight view 
which we have hitherto taken of the quadrupeds of Africa, 
that some genera are entirely restricted to that continent, 
while others are distributed likewise over Europe and Asia. 
The genus Hystrix, which contains the porcupines, as for- 
merly constituted was remarkable for its dispersion over all 
the four quarters of the globe ; but, as the American spe- 
cies are classed by recent systematists in a separate genus, 
the true porcupines may be said to be confined to the Old 
World. 

The common porcupine (Hystrix dorsata) inhabits two 



QUADRUPEDS* 309 

very distant points of Africa, Barbary and the Cape of 
Good Hope, It is also found in India, Persia, Greece, Italy, 
and Sicily. Mr. Brydone informs us, in his Tour, that it 
is frequent in that island in the district of Baiae, and that 
he killed several during a shooting party on the Monte Bar- 
baro. He dined upon his game, but found it luscious and 
soon palling upon the appetite. The singular aspect of 
this animal seems to have attracted the attention of the 
lovers of nature at a very early period, and many fabulous 
properties were added to the true character of a creature in 
itself sufficiently curious. It was said to possess the power 
of darting its quills at pleasure with great force, and to a 
considerable distance, against its enemies. There is no 
doubt, that when agitated either by fear or anger, it bristles 
up its quills, rattles them against each other as an Indian 
warrior might his quiver full of arrows, and that in this 
temporary agitation a quill may be occasionally thrown out, 
and might even settle itself in the body of an adversary ; 
but they are essentially fixed, though not immoveable organs, 
and can no more be parted with in self-defence than the 
spines of the hedgehog. Claudian, however, observes, that 
the porcupine is himself at once the bow, the quiver, and 
the arrow, which he employs against the hunters, — 

Ecce, brevis propriis munitur bestia telis, 
Externam nee quaerit opem, fert omnia secum, 
Se pharetra, sese jaculo, sese utitur arcu ! 

The porcupine feeds chiefly on roots, fruits, and other 
vegetable produce. It dwells in subterranean retreats, and 
comes abroad more frequently during the night than the day. 

We come now to the hares and rabbits, a genus widely 
distributed from the shores of Hudson's Bay to the Straits 
of Magellan, and from Siberia to Bengal. The common 
rabbit (Lepus cuniculus) is supposed to have been originally 
introduced from Africa into Spain, and to have been ex- 
tended from the latter country over the rest of Europe. 

The Egyptian hare {Lepus Egyptius) occurs also at the 
Cape of Good Hope. The ears and hind legs are propor- 
tionally longer than those of the European specie*. The 
anterior legs appear to have only four toes, owing to the 
thumb or inner toe being very small. Its fur, though not 



310 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFKioA. 

entirely similar, does not greatly differ from that of our 
own species. Those from South Africa are of large size. 

A small species (L. arenarius) about one-fourth less than 
a rabbit, was lately discovered by M. Delalande, inhabiting 
sandy districts in the country of the Hottentots. 



The singular family of the armadilloes would require no 
mention in our present sketch, were it not that the laborious 
though inaccurate Seba has represented one of them under 
the name of the African armadillo. Suffice it to say, that 
no species of the genus is found elsewhere than in America. 

An animal peculiar to Africa is the Cape ant-eater (Orycte- 
r opus Cap ensis). The ant-eaters, properly so called (genus 
Myrmecophaga), are peculiar to America ; so that the spe- 
cies now under consideration may be regarded merely as 
their African representative. It is an animal of large dimen- 
sions, measuring between three and four feet in length, ex- 
clusive of the tail, which is nearly two feet long. Its habits 
are nocturnal and subterraneous, and its food consists of 
ants and termites, which it seizes with its long and gluti- 
nous tongue, after having disarranged their dwellings with 
its paws. It occurs in the neighbourhood of the Cape of 
Good' Hope. 



The animal kingdom scarcely presents us with quadru- 
peds of a more marked and peculiar aspect than the pan 
golins or manis tribe. Instead of hair, they are covered 
with a scaly armour, consisting of numerous leaf-like plates, 
lying over each other after the manner of tiles ; and their 
slender cylindrical bodies and lengthened tails give them 
so much the aspect of reptiles, that they are very generally 
known under the name of scaly lizards. They are harm- 
less animals, feeding like the ant-eaters on insects, particu- 
larly ants, which they collect by thrusting their long tongues 
into the dwellings of these industrious creatures. They 
inhabit both India and Africa. The species called, par ex- 
celle?ice, the long-tailed {Maids telradactyla, Linn.), inhabits 
Senegal and the coast of Guinea. 



We now arrive at the pachydermatous, or thick-skinned 
animals, corresponding to the order Bellu^e of Linnaeus. 



QUADRUPEDS. 311 

In this division are included the elephant, the tapir, the 
rhinoceros, the hyrax, or Cape marmot, the pecaris, the 
babyroussa, the wild boar, the African boar, the hippopota ■ 
mus, and the horse. 

The most gigantic of all living terrestrial animals, the 
elephant, combines superhuman strength with almost human 
wisdom, in a manner otherwise unequalled among the brute 
creation. Many instances are on record of its retentive 
memory, its grateful and affectionate disposition, and its 
general intelligence as a discriminating, if not reflecting 
creature. From the earliest ages its stupendous size and 
unexampled sagacity have formed a theme of wonder and 
admiration to mankind. Elephants in the wild state are 
gregarious and herbivorous. They are naturally averse to 
the extremes of heat and cold ; and, although inhabitants 
of some of the most sultry regions of the earth, they shelter 
themselves from the overpowering heat of the midday sun 
in the comparative coolness of those umbrageous forests 
which, both in Africa and Asia, are their chosen places of 
abode. 

Of the Asiatic elephants, the Ceylonese are the most 
celebrated. Indeed, the torrid zone seems the most favour- 
able for the production of the largest races. Along the 
coast of Malabar, elephants occur as far north as the terri- 
tories of Coorgah Rajah ; but these, according to Mr. Corse 
(Scott), are inferior to the breed from Ceylon. 

The African elephant is easily distinguished from the 
Asiatic, by his rounder head, his convex forehead, his enor- 
mous ears, and the lozenge-marked surface of his grinders. 
His tusks are also longer, and those of his female are 
equally great ; whereas the female of the Asiatic elephant 
has very small tusks. He inhabits a wide extent of Africa, 
from Senegal to the Cape, and abounds in the forests of the 
interior. The African elephant has not been rendered ser- 
viceable to man, like that of Asia. This, however, arises 
from no defect in the docility of the animal, but rather from 
a difference in the social and political conditions of the hu- 
man tribes of Africa, and their inferior civilization. The 
ancient Carthaginians made use of elephants, which there 
is no reason to suppose were otherwise than of African 
origin, in like manner as the Asiatic variety was used by 
Porus and the Indian kings. In modern times, the inven- 



312 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

tion and extended use of firearms have rendered the war- 
like services of these huge creatures of comparatively little 
avail ; hut their great strength and sobriety of conduct ren- 
der them highly efficient, indeed indispensable, in eastern 
countries as beasts of burden, and as accessaries in the 
sports of the field. 

It is not yet clearly ascertained whether the elephants of 
the eastern shores of Africa are the same as those of the 
interior and western districts, or whether they do not exhibit 
a closer approximation to the Asiatic species. We shall 
conclude by observing that the size of the elephant has been 
much exaggerated. Dr. Hill, for example, asserts, that, 
when full grown, it is from seventeen to twenty feet high. 
One-half of the latter height is probably nearer the truth, 
even for an individual of more than usual size, and twelve 
feet may be stated as the extreme dimensions. 



Second in size, though widely distant in sense, is the 
rhinoceros, an animal of a sour and stubborn disposition, 
and in every way less trustworthy than the elephant. Of 
this genus there are several species, two of which (if R. 
Burchellii is entitled to specific distinction) inhabit Africa. 
The others are native to India, and the great islands of Java 
and Sumatra. The African species (R. Africanus) is armed 
with a couple of horns ; its coat is not distinguished by vo- 
luminous folds, and it wants the incisive teeth. The sense 
of sight is said to be rather defective in the rhinoceros : 
those of smell *md hearing are acute. 

Another animal, characteristic of, though not entirely 
peculiar to Africa, is the hyrax or Cape marmot. This spe- 
cies is supposed by some biblical annotators to be the cony 
of the Scriptures. It inhabits the rocky territories of 
many parts of Africa, and occurs, with little variation in 
its external aspect, in Syria. With the exception of the 
horns, it bears a strong resemblance to a rhinoceros in 
miniature. 

The Ethiopian hog (Phascochcerus Africanus) is a fierce 
and savage animal, allied to the wild boar in its habits, but 
distinguished by a pair of large lobes or wattles placed be- 
neath the eyes. The tusks of the upper jaw bend upwards 
in a semicircular manner towards the forehead. When 
attacked, it is apt to become furious, and, rushing on its 



QUADRUPEDS. 318 

adversary with great force and swiftness, inflicts the most 
desperate, and sometimes fatal wounds. It inhabits a wide 
extent of country along the western side of Africa, from 
Senegal to the Cape ; and it also occurs specifically the same 
in Ethiopia. A new species of this genus has been re- 
cently discovered in the north of Africa by M. Ruppell. It 
is named Phascochczrus barbatus. The ascertainment of 
the latter animal is a proof, among many others which 
might be adduced, of the impropriety of denominating a 
species from the continent which it inhabits. Few species 
are so isolated in the animal kingdom as to exist alone over 
a great tract of country, without claiming kindred with any 
other ; and we may fairly infer, a priori, that when one of 
a genus is discovered, a second or a third will ere long 
make its appearance. When this happens, such specific 
names as Africanus, Americanus, &c. cease to be of a dis- 
criminating or exclusive nature, and consequently lose their 
value. 

Next to the elephant and rhinoceros, perhaps the most 
bulky land animal with which naturalists are acquainted, 
is the hippopotamus or river-horse. It is peculiar to Africa, 
and inhabits the fresh waters of that continent. It formerly 
existed in Lower Egypt, but has long since disappeared 
from that district. Mr. Bruce makes mention of hippopo- 
tami as existing in the Lake Tzana, exceeding twenty feet 
in length. It would be hard to limit the growth of this na- 
turaily gigantic species ; but the largest ever killed by Co- 
lonel Gordon, an experienced hippopotamist, did not exceed 
eleven feet eight inches. M. Desmoulins regards the spe- 
cies of Senegal as differing from those of the more south- 
ern parts of Africa. These animals are chiefly valuable on 
account of their ivory tusks, which, being harder than those 
of elephants, and not so subject to turn yellow, are much 
esteemed by dentists. Their hides are formed into buck- 
lers by several of the African tribes. 



We now arrive at the genus Equus, or horse tribe, which 
consists of six species, three of which are peculiar to Africa, 
viz. the mountain-zebra (E. zebra, Linn., E. montanus, 
Burchell), the zem*a of the plains (E. zebra, Burchell), 
and the quagga, {E. qvagga, Linn.) Neither the ass nor the 
common horse are aboriginal inhabitants of this continent. 
Dd 



/ 



314 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

The aspect of the zebra is too familiarly known to re- 
quire description. It is one of the most fancifully adorned 
of all known quadrupeds ; but the beauty of its external ap- 
pearance is its chief merit, as its disposition is wayward 
and capricious in the extreme. With the exception of one 
or two instances, in which persevering individuals have suc- 
ceeded in subduing the stubbornness of its nature, it has 
not been rendered subservient to the purposes of the hu- 
man race. It is a mountain-animal, called dauw by the 
Hottentots, and is scarcely ever seen on the plains. 

The zebra of the plains, although only recently charac- 
terized as a distinct kind, is in fact abetter known and more 
abundant species than the other. It is chiefly distinguished by 
the want of rings upon the legs. " I stopped," says Mr. Bur- 
chell, "to examine these zebras with my pocket telescope: 
they were the most beautifully marked animals I had ever 
seen ; their clean sleek limbs glittered in the sun, and the 
brightness and regularity of their striped coat presented a 
picture of extraordinary beauty, in which probably they are 
not surpassed by any quadruped with which we are at pre- 
sent acquainted. It is indeed equalled in this particular 
by the dauw, whose stripes are more defined and regular, 
but which do not offer to the eye so lively a colouring." 

The quagga is more nearly allied to the zebra of the 
plains than to that of the mountains. It lives in troops in 
the neighbourhood of the Cape, and, in common with the 
zebra, is frequently found in company with ostriches. The 
wary disposition of these birds, and their great quickness 
of sight, are supposed to be serviceable to the congre- 
gated group in warning them of the approach of their ene- 
mies. 

The next great tribe of animals which falls under our t 
consideration, is that of the ruminating class (order Pecora, 
Linn.) ; and of that tribe the most important member, and 
the most influential on the destinies of Africa, is the camel, 
or " shin of the desert,"as it is beautifully called in the figura- 
tive language of the Arabs. " Of all animals," says BufTon, 
" the eanel is the most ancient, the completest, and most 
laborioi 6 slave. He is the most ancient slave, because he 
inhabit? those climates where men were first polished. He 
is the m ¥,i complete slave, because in the other species of 
domestic animals, as the horse, the dog, the ox, the sheep, 



QUADRUPEDS. 315 

tUe hog, &c. we still find individuals in a state of nature^ 
and which have not submitted to man. But the whole spe- 
cies of the camel is enslaved ; for none of them exist in 
their primitive state of liberty and independence. Lastly, 
he is the most laborious slave, because he has never been 
nourished for pomp, like most horses, nor for amusement, 
like most, dogs, nor for the use of the table, like the ox, the 
hog, and the sheep ; because he has always been made a 
beast of burden, whom men have never taken the trouble 
of yoking in machines, but have regarded the body of the 
animal as a living carriage, which they may load or over- 
load, even during sleep ; for when pressed, the load is some- 
times not taken off, but the animal lies down under it, with 
his legs folded, and his body resting on his stomach." 

There are two species of camel. The Bactrian species, 
or camel properly so called (Camelus Bactrianus), is cha- 
racterized by a couple of humps, — one on the rump, and 
another above the shoulders. It is an Asiatic animal, and 
is said still to roam wild in the desert of Shamo, on the fron- 
tiers of China. It is capable of being acclimated, without 
much difficulty, in comparatively northern countries, and 
was introduced into Tuscany by the Grand Duke Leopold, 
where it still breeds in the maremmas of the Pisan territory 
It has, however, neither spread over the country, nor be- 
come at all extensively useful for the general purposes of 
rural labour. This is chiefly attributed to the improvident 
calculations of the minister Saiviati, who, on their first in- 
troduction demanded about a thousand francs apiece from 
such as inclined to purchase these animals for the sake of 
extending the breed. They are frequently seen in the 
streets of Pisa, carrying firewood, or other articles of do- 
mestic consumption, from the present Grand Duke's farms. 
It is this species which is employed in Thibet and Tur- 
kistan. 

The other species of camel (C dromedarius) has only a 
single hump on its back. It has spread from Arabia all over 
the northern parts of Africa, and has long been essential to 
the commerce of those dry and desert regions. It is also 
found in Syria, Persia, &c, and was known under the 
name of Arabian camel to the ancient writers. The term 
dromedary (from the Greek dpon&s) y originally applied to a 
variety of this species, remarkable for its swiftness, as the. 



316 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

name imports, is now for the most part bestowed on the spc« 
cies itself. 

" To the wild Arab of the desert, the camel is all that his 
necessities require. He feeds on the flesh, drinks the milk, 
makes clothes and tents of the hair; belts, sandals, saddles, 
and buckets of the hide ; he conveys himself and family on 
his back, makes his pillow of his side, and his shelter of him 
against the whirlwind of sand. Couched in a circle around 
him, his camels form a fence, and in battle an intrenchmcnt 
behind which his family and property are obstinately, and 
often successfully defended. All these advantages are a 
necessary result of the constitutional faculties and struc- 
ture of the camel when residing in the locality assigned 
him by nature : under another atmosphere, his qualifica- 
tions become less important, and his conformation less ap- 
plicable. In Tartary and Southern Russia, where the Bac 
trian species (longer of body and shorter of limb than the 
Arabian) is harnessed to wheel-carriages, and even to the 
plough, the elevation of his shoulders evidently produces a 
waste of strength ; and, in a country where herbage and 
water are proportionally abundant, his sobriety is not re- 
quired. If the camel is transferred to rocky and moun- 
tainous regions, his feet soon wear, and he ascends and de- 
scends with great awkwardness. If he be brought into 
temperate regions, the frequent mud, and above all, the 
thawed snows, soften his feet, and he is unable to work ; 
as is at least partially experienced in Central and Northern 
Asia, notwithstanding that the Bactrian camel, again pro- 
vided by nature for his particular locality, has soles of 
greater hardness than the Arabian, and the dissolution of 
the snow is excessively rapid when once begun." — Griffith's 
Animal Kingdom, vol. iv. p. 40. 

The ancient authors do not seem to take notice of the ca- 
mel as an inhabitant of Northern Africa. It is, however, 
mentioned in Genesis (chap. xii. ver. 16) as among the 
gifts bestowed by Pharaoh on Abram, and must therefore 
have been well known on the banks of the Nile at a period 
anterior to the oldest of the Greek or Roman writers. It has 
indeed been remarked as a singular circumstance, that the 
Romans, who carried on such frequent wars in Africa, should 
not have thought of mentioning these animals, till Proco- 
pius noticed camel-riding Moors in arms against Solomon, 



QUADRUPEDS. 317 

the lieutenant of Belisarius. Their uses in modern times 
are so well known, and all books of African travel are so 
frequent in their description of these docile beasts of burden 
that we deem it unnecessary to dwell any longer on the 
subject. 



Very few animals of the deer kind, properly so called, are 
found in Africa. The red deer, however (Cervas elaphrus), 
one of the noblest of the tribe, and the most stately of all the 
wild animals still indigenous to Britain, occurs in some of 
its northern quarters. But to these it was not improbably 
imported, at some unknown period, from Europe. 

Before proceeding to the more abundant family of the 
antelopes, of which Africa is the great emporium, we shall 
mention, as a species entirely peculiar to this continent, the 
giraffe or camelopard, the tallest and, in every other respect, 
one of the most singular of quadrupeds. Its appearance is 
too familiar to our readers to require description. We shall 
merely state that it is a timid and gentle animal, feeding 
principally on the leaves of trees (especially those of the 
genus Mimosa), and inhabiting the plains of Central and 
Southern Africa. Its gait, or mode of progression, is de- 
scribed as extraordinary by Mr. Lichtenstein. " We had 
scarcely travelled an hour when the Hottentots called our 
■attention to some object on a hill not far off on the left 
hand, which seemed to move. The head of something ap- 
peared almost immediately after, feeding on the other side 
of the hill, and it was concluded that it must be that of a 
very large animal. This was confirmed, when after going 
scarcely a hundred steps farther, two tall swan-necked 
giraffes stood almost directly before us. Our transports were 
indescribable, particularly as the creatures themselves did 
not perceive us, and therefore gave us full time to examine 
them, and to prepare for an earnest and serious chase. The 
one was smaller and of a paler colour than the other, which 
Vischer immediately pronounced to be a colt, the child of 
the larger. Our horses were saddled, and our guns loaded 
in an instant, when the chase commenced. Since all the 
wild animals of Africa run against the wind, so that we 
were pretty well assured which way the course of these 
objects of our ardent wishes would be directed, Vischer, as 
the most experienced hunter, separated himself from us, and 
Dd2 



318 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

by a circuit took the animals in front, that he might stop 
.heir way, while I was to attack them in the rear. I had 
almost got within shot of them when they perceived me, 
and began to fly in the direction we expected. But their 
flight was so beyond all idea extraordinary, that, between 
laughter, astonishment, and delight, I almost forgot my de- 
signs upon the harmless creatures' lives. From the extra- 
vagant disproportion between the height of the fore to that 
of the hinder parts, and of the height to the length of the 
animal, great obstacles are presented to its moving with any 
degree of swiftness. When Le Vaillant asserts that he has 
seen the giraffe trot, he spares me any farther trouble in 
proving that this animal never presented itself alive before 
him.* How in the world should an animal, so dispropor- 
tioned in height before and behind, trot ] The giraffe can 
only gallop, as I can affirm from my own experience, having 
seen between forty and fifty at different times, both in their 
slow and hasty movement, for they only stop when they are 
feeding quietly. But this gallop is so heavy and unwieldy, 
and seems performed with so much labour, that in a distance 
of more than a hundred paces, comparing the ground cleared 
w r ith the size of the animal and of the surrounding objects, 
it might almost be said that a man goes faster on foot. 
The heaviness of the movement is only compensated by the 
length of the steps, each one of which clears, on a moderate 
computation, from twelve to sixteen feet." A tolerably 
good horse overtakes the giraffe without difficulty, especially 
over rising ground. 

Camelopards were known to the Romans, and were ex- 
hibited in the Circsean Games by Csesar the dictator. The 
Emperor Gordian afterward exhibited ten at a single show , 
and tolerably accurate figures of this animal, both in a 
browsing and grazing attitude, have been handed down by 
the Pranestine pavement. During the darker ages, and for 
some centuries after the revival of learning, it seems to 
have remained unknown to Europeans ; but, about the mid- 
dle of the sixteenth century, the emperor of Germany, Fre- 

* It would be more proper, and equally logical, rattier to infer that 
Le Vaillant misapplied the term which he made use of to designate the 
movements of the camelopard, than that he imagined himself to have seen 
an animal alive which had never presented itself to him in that condi- 
tion.— Ed. 



QUADRUPEDS. 319 

dericus jEnobarbus, received one from the sultan of BaDy- 
lon. Lorenzo de Medicis was also presented with a live 
camelopard by the bey of Tunis ; and in our own times 
they have been received by the kings both of France and 
England from the (late) dey of Algiers. 



Africa is the country of antelopes. These creatures are 
the most lively, graceful, and beautifully proportioned of 
the brute creation. Wherever known, they have attracted 
the attention and admiration of mankind from the earliest 
ages ; and the beauty of their dark and lustrous eyes affords 
a frequent theme to the poetical imaginings of the eastern 
poets*. Their names are of frequent occurrence in the most 
ancient of the eastern mythologies, and their figures occur 
among the oldest of the astronomical symbols. Naturalists 
are more or less acquainted with about fifty species, the 
greater proportion of which are peculiar to the African con- 
tinent. 

The blue antelope (Antilope leucophaa), formerly met with 
in the Cape colony, is now so rare ill South Africa, that no 
specimen has been killed there since the year 1799. Its his- 
tory and manners are little known. The roan antelope (A. 
equina) is a very large animal, measuring nearly eight feet in 
length. It was found by Mr. Burchell among the moun- 
tainous plains in the vicinity of Lattakoo. The CarTrarian 
oryx (A. oryx) is an animal equally remarkable for the 
vigour as the beauty of its form. It inhabits elevated forests 
and the rocky regions of Southern Africa, and is exceed- 
ingly fierce during the rutting season, especially when 
wounded. A friend of Major Smith's having fired at one 
of these antelopes, it immediately turned upon his dogs, and 
transfixed one of them upon the spot. They afford the best 
venison of any of the species found in the south of Africa. 
The small white buffalo mentioned by Captain Lyon as oc- 
curring in the Great Desert south of Tunis, was no doubt a 
species of oryx. Another animal of very showy aspect be- 
longing to this tribe is the addax, recently transmitted from 
Nubia by M. Ruppell. They reside in pairs on the barren 
deserts, and, extending over the whole Sahara, are found as 
far west as Senegal. The white-faced antelope (A, py- 
garga) is inferior in size to the stag of Europe. According to 
if ajor Smith, this species does not seem to be known in 



320 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

Central Africa. It is found in the regions which border the 
colony of the Cape, and is called blcssbock by the Dutch. 
In manners it resembles the gnu, and lives in small families 
of seven or eight. 

The springer antelope (J., euchori) is named springbock 
by the Dutch. It inhabits the plains of Southern and Cen- 
tral Africa, and assembles in vast flocks during its migra- 
tory movements. " These migrations, which are said to 
take place in their most numerous form only at the intervals 
of several years, appear to come from the north-east, and in 
masses of many thousands, devouring, like locusts, every 
green herb. The lion has been seen to migrate, and walk 
in the midst of the compressed phalanx, with only as*much 
space between him and his victims as the fears of those im- 
mediately around could procure by pressing outwards. The 
foremost of these vast columns are fat, and the rear exceed- 
ingly lean, while the direction continues one way ; but 
with the change of the monsoon, when they return towards 
the north, the rear become the leaders, fattening in their 
turn, and leaving the others to starve, and to be devoured 
by the numerous enemies who follow their march. At all 
times when impelled by fear, either of the hunter or the 
beast of prey darting among the flock, but principally when 
the herds are assembled in countless multitudes, so that an 
alarm cannot spread rapidly and open the means of flight, 
they are pressed against each other, and their anxiety to es- 
cape impels them to bound up in the air, showing, at the 
same time, the white spot on the croup dilated by the effort, 
and closing again in their descent, and producing that beauti- 
ful effect from which they have obtained the name of 
Springer and Showy-bock." — Griffith's Animal Kingdom, 
vol. iv. p. 209. 

The kevel (A. kevella) h nearly all ied to the dorcas, but 
does not appear to occur to the north of the Atlas, with the 
exception, perhaps, of the western coast of Morocco. In 
Central Africa, across the banks of the Congo, and south- 
wards as far as the country of the C^ffres, it forms nu- 
merous flocks. The pallah (A. melawpus) is a beautiful 
species, mentioned by Lichten stein, it is described as a 
model of elegance and vigour, and is a native of CafTraria, 
especially the Boshuana country. It never appears to the 
south of the Koorges Vallev The klipspringer (A. orco* 



QUADRUPEDS. 321 

tragus) was formerly very abundant near the Cape, but is 
now rare, except in the interior of the country. They 
dwell among rocky precipices, and spring from cliff to cliff 
with surprising strength and agility. The steenbock 
(^4. rwpestris) likewise dwells among the rocks. It is found 
near Algoa Bay, but is now rare in the Cape colony. The 
vlackti steenbock (A. rufescens) is among the most beautiful 
of the smaller antelopes of Africa. The name of vlackti is 
bestowed upon it, in consequence of its inhabiting the plains 
or open country. The bush-antelope (A silvicultrix) is 
found at Sierra Leone, where it is called the bush-goat. It 
usually quits its cover in search of food about sunrise. 
The four-tufted antelope (A. quadriscopa) is a native of 
Senegal. The duicker bock (A. mergens) is a timid species, 
fearful <»f thunder and other unaccustomed sounds. It in- 
habits bushes, and rises every now and then upon its hind 
legs for the sake of surveying its vicinity. It then stoops 
down and darts under cover, from which custom it has no 
doubt obtained the name of duicker, or the stooper. The 
guevei (A. pygmaa) consists of two well-marked varieties, 
if two distinct species have not been confounded under a 
single name. At present we shall allude only to the 
smaller, which is remarkable for its diminutive size. A 
female in Bullock's Museum scarcely exceeded the general 
dimensions of a Norway rat, and the legs were no thicker 
than a goose's quill. The gueveis are brought from the 
coast of Guinea, and are sometimes observed to occur in 
the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope. 

One of the largest of the African antelopes is the bubale 
(J., bubalis of Pallas), equal in size to a stag. It congre- 
gates in troops, among which frequent and sometimes fatal 
combats take place. This species was well known to the 
ancients, and is represented among the hieroglyphical 
figures of the temples of Upper Egypt. It inhabits Barbary 
and the Great Desert of Northern Africa. 

We may here mention the gnu, as an animal classed by 
Sparrman and others among the antelopes. It assembles 
in large herds among the southern, and probably the central 
deserts of Africa. It is not now found nearer the Cape 
than the great Karroo district. O f this animal there ap- 
pears to be more species than one. 



322 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

The next group which demands our notice is the bovine 
tribe, including all the larger kinds of horned cattle. Of 
these, the only species peculiar to Africa is the Bos caffer, 
or Cape buffalo, the qu'araho of the Hottentots, a fierce and 
vindictive animal of great strength. This species is cha- 
racterized by the dark rufous colour of its horns, which 
spread horizontally over the summit of the head, with their 
beams bent down laterally, and the points turned up. 
They are from eight to ten inches broad at the base, and 
divided only by a slight groove, extremely ponderous, cellu- 
lar near the root, and five feet long, measured from tip to 
tip along the curves. The hide is black and almost naked, 
especially in old animals. This buffalo lives in herds, or 
small families, in the brushwood and open forests of Caf- 
fraria. According to Sparrman, he is not content with 
simply killing the person whom he attacks, but he stands 
over him for some time in order to trample him with his 
hoofs and heels, at the same time crushing him with his 
knees, and tearing to pieces and mangling his whole body, 
and finally stripping off the skin with his tongue. The 
surest way to escape is, if possible, to ride up a hill, as the 
great bulk of the buffalo's body, like that of the elephant, is 
a weight sufficient to prevent his vying with the slender 
and fine-limbed horse in swiftness. It is said, however, 
that in going down hill, this formidable animal gets on 
much faster than the horse. 



The goat and sheep tribe, so valuable, especially the lat- 
ter, to the human race, present respectively a species pecu- 
liar to the continent of Africa. The Egyptian goat, by 
some however regarded as nothing more than a variety of 
the domestic breed, is distinguished by the great convexity 
of its facial line, and a depression between the face and the 
forehead. The lower jaw projects beyond the upper ; the 
ears are long and flat, and the horns are either very small, 
and arched slightly backwards, or are entirely wanting. 
The female scarcely differs from the male in external ap- 
pearance, with the exception of the straighter outline of 
the face. It inhabits Upper Egypt. The other animal 
above alluded to is called the bearded sheep {Ocis tragela 
phus). It inhabits the desert steeps of Barbary and the 
mountainous portions" of Egypt. 



BIRDS. 323 

We have now enumerated, with occasions brief descrip- 
tions and interspersed notices of their history and habits, 
the greater proportion of the more remarkable quadrupeds 
of Africa. To extend the list would have been both easy 
and agreeable ; but we trust that the preceding sketch will 
suffice to exhibit the prevailing and peculiar features of 
this branch of African zoology, even though our confined 
limits should have excluded many minor details, not in 
themselves devoid of interest, though unessential to our 
present undertaking. The great preponderance of the 
antelope tribe, the existence of the giraffe and the hippopo- 
tamus, and the numerous troops of equine animals, such as 
the zebra and the quagga, may be stated as forming the 
principal zoological characters of this extensive continent. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Natural History of the Birds of Africa. 

We shall next take a rapid survey of some other depart- 
ments of the natural history of Africa ; and continuing, as 
we have commenced, with a certain degree of systematic 
arrangement, the second great class which attracts the 
attention of the traveller is that of birds. 

The arid and wide-spread plains which compose so large 
a portion of this continent, are unfavourable to the existence 
and multiplication of the feathered race. Yet the more 
umbrageous banks of rivers, the extensive forests which 
here and there prevail to check the drifting of the desert- 
sand, and those green and grateful oases which towards 
evening cast their far shadows across a waterless land, 
harbour in their cool recesses many a gorgeous form of fea- 
thered life. Nor can we suppose that the mountain-summits, 
and those Sierras which occasionally interrupt the horizontal 
view of the bleached wilderness, are uninhabited by birds of 
prey, eagle-eyed and swift of wing, there perched securely 
amid their rocky fortresses, but ever ready to descend with 
eager cry, when the blast of the simoom overwhelms the 



324 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

exhausted caravan, or the weary camel " ship of the 
desert" is seen to stoop its mast-like neck, and the glassy 
hue of death suffuses its gentle eye, not from the turbulence, 
but the want of waves. And if, as has been supposed, 
some of the great African rivers empty their translucent 
streams into an interior and sea-like lake, many an un- 
known but beautiful aquatic bird must haunt its mysterious 
and long-sought-for shores, and revel in the crystal depths 
of those delusive waters which have already led on to death 
so many of our brave and devoted countrymen. To these, 
however, so long as heroic enterprise is valued, they will 
likewise prove the waters of immortality, though, to their 
surviving and deploring friends, bitter as the fountain of 
Marah.* 

If the multiplicity of species, even in the class of quad- 
rupeds, be found an insuperable obstacle to a detailed ac- 
count in such a publication as the present, far more must 
we curtail our remarks when treating of the feathered race, 
the number of which, not unfamiliar to the ornithologist, 
does probably not fall far short of 6000 species. Let us 
commence with the carnivorous tribes. 

Several species of vulture occur in Africa, where, as in 
other countries, they follow troops of armed men, 

" Sagacious of their quarry from afar," 

in the hope of ere long preying on their slaughtered bodies. 
It is, however, by the sense of sight, and not by that of 
smell, that these birds so quickly discover and assemble 
round their victims on the battle-field. 

The eared vulture (Poricou of Le Vaillant) is a gregarious 
species which inhabits the southern parts of Africa. Their 
nests are placed very near each other, and the birds are seen 
sitting in vast numbers about the caverns of the rocky moun- 
tains where they breed. 

A doubtful species called the armed vulture, is mentioned 

* The writer of these notices dwelt at one time, during his boyhood, 
for many months in the family, and constant companionship of the late 
lamented Major Laing, and was in habits either of personal intimacy or 
correspondence with the unfortunate Bowdich, Oudney, Clapperton, and 
the younger Park, who so lately perished following his father's footsteps 



BIRDS. 325 

by Browne in his African Travels, and is said to be ex- 
tremely frequent in the country of Darfur, where it flies 
about in thousands. 

The African snake-eater (Falco serpentarius, Linn.) is 
usually placed between the vultures and hawks. It is a long- 
legged species, of peculiar aspect, resembling in some re- 
spects rather a wader than a bird of prey. It inhabits dry 
open plains in the lower parts of Southern Africa, and feeds 
on reptiles. Le Vaillant found in the craw of a single bird 
twenty -one young tortoises, three snakes, and eleven lizards, 
and, besides these, there was a large ball in the stomach 
formed entirely of the scales of tortoises, the vertebrae of 
snakes and lizards, the legs of locusts, and the wing-cases 
of coleopterous insects. 

Of more noble habits are the eagles, hawks, and other 
birds of prey, which, for the most part, disdaining the cor- 
rupting carcasses, whether of man or beast, overcome by 
speed of wing, and pounce with their talons on all such 
iiving creatures as they are able to subdue. 

Among the eagles of Africa may be mentioned the grif- 
fard eagle (Falco dfmiger), native to the country of the Na- 
maquas, and the imperial eagle (F. imperialis of Temm.) 
described by Savigny in the splendid French work on EgypL 
This latter species also inhabits the mountains of the south- 
ern parts of Europe. 

Of the numerous hawks, or smaller species of the falcon 
tribe which inhabit this continent, we shall mention in the 
first place, the chanting falcon (F. musicus, Daudin). We 
must not suppose, from the name of this species, that its 
notes in any way resemble the harmonious tones of the 
nightingale, or those of even our less celebrated songsters. 
Its voice is merely a little clearer than usual, although it 
seems impressed with a high idea of its own powers. It 
will sit for half a day perched upon the summit of a tall 
tree, uttering incessant cries, which the darkness of the 
night is sometimes insufficient to terminate. It builds in 
woods in the interior of CarTraria, and commits great havoc 
among quails and partridges. The crested African falcon 
(F. galericulatus) resembles the peregrine falcon of Europe. 
It dwells by the seashore and the borders of lakes, and feeds 
on fish, crabs, and the testaceous tribes. The ranivorus, or 
frog-bating falcon (F. ramvorus) is a native of the Cape of 
E e 



326 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRfCA. 

Good Hope. It appears to be allied to the moor-buzzards 
in its manners. It builds its nest among rushes, with the 
stalks of the leaves of water-plants, and feeds chiefly on 
frogs and young waterfowl. 

The next family of carnivorous birds are the nocturnal 
tribes called owls, which may be said to bear the same re- 
lation to the more active and elegant hawks that moths do 
to butterflies. Africa is by no means rich in owls, at least 
very few have attracted the notice of travellers in that 
country. We shall here mention only the very beautiful 
falconian owl of Latham (Strix Africana), which appears 
during the short-lived twilight, and moves with rapid flight. 

We may place, as intermediate between the regular birds 
of prey and the passerine species, those called butcher-birds, 
of which Africa produces a great variety of kinds. The 
habits of the collared shrike (Lanius collaris) are described 
by Le Vaillant. When it sees a locust, a mantis, or a small 
bird, it springs upon it and immediately carries it off, in or- 
der to impale it on a thorn, which it does with great dexte- 
rity, always passing the thorn through the head of its vic- 
tim. Every animal which it seizes is subjected to the same 
fate ; and it thus continues all day long its murderous ca- 
reer, apparently instigated rather by the love of mischief 
than the desire of food. Its throne of tyranny is usually 
a dry and elevated branch of a tree, from which it pounces 
on all intruders, driving off the stronger and more trouble- 
some, and impaling the inexperienced alive. When hun- 
gry, it visits its shambles, and helps itself to a savoury 
meal. The Hottentots assured Le Vaillant that it does not 
love fresh food, and therefore leaves its prey on the gib- 
bet till it becomes putrescent. But beneath the scorching 
sun of Africa this process of decomposition sometimes does 
not take place, from the rapid exhalation of the animal 
fluids in a warm and arid atmosphere ; and, consequently, 
whatever spiny shrub may have been chosen by the butcher- 
bird as the place of execution, is frequently found covered 
not with sweet-smelling and many-coloured blossoms, but 
with the dried carcasses of singing-birds, and the bodies of 
locusts and other insects of the larger size. This unamia- 
bh and irascible bird is figured and described in the fourth 



BIRDS. 327 

part (plate 52) of the valuable " Illustrations of Ornitho- 
logy," so well conducted by Sir William Jardine, Bart., and 
Mr. Selby. Several species of shrike likewise occur in the 
island of Madagascar. 

With species pertaining to the beautiful and melodious 
family of the thrushes, Africa is by no meaii3 abundantly sup- 
plied. The Cape thrush (genus Brachypus, Swainson) is 
found, as its name imports, in Southern Africa, and another 
species (T. Phcenicopterus, Temm.) occurs in Senegal. Its 
plumage is of a fine bronzed black, glossed with blue and violet 
the wings and tail are dull black,with all the feathers edged with 
metallic green ; the wing-coverts are bright red ; the beak and 
legs are black. If, however, we were to regard the genus 
as formerly constituted, we should here name some of the 
most splendid of the feathered race ; for example, the shin- 
ing thrush, and that other species called the blue and green 
daw by Edwards, both of which probably belong to the 
genus Lamprotomis, the greater proportion of which seems 
peculiar to Africa. The rose-coloured ouzel, one of the 
rarest and most beautiful of British birds, is also found in 
Africa, where its iove of locusts is more amply gratified 
than we hope it will ever be in this cold and cloudy clime. 

Passing over the extensive family of the sylviadcp, which 
includes the finest song-birds of temperate countries, we 
shall here present the remark that the feathered tribes 
of tropical and other sultry regions are in general more 
distinguished for their gorgeous plumage than the harmony 
or varied intonation of their voices. It is chiefly among the 
obscure and monotonously-plumed species that we find the 
most accomplished warblers, such as the sombre nightin- 
gale, which in the leafy arbours of France and England 
makes such rich amends for his unadorned and quaker-like 
attire : 

" The wakeful bird 
Sings darkling, and, in shadiest covert hid, 
Tunes her* nocturnal notes." 

Among the Fringillidce we may notice the buntings, of 
which the Whidah-bird, or long-tailed bunting (genus Vidua, 

* We are not aware that the female nightingale sings,— but the worda 
of Milton are sacred. 



S28 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

Cuvier), is remarkable for the changes which the male bird 
assumes at certain seasons of the year, and which, from the 
dropping away of the lengthened feathers of the tail, and 
the alteration in the colours of various parts of the plumage, 
produce a total difference in the appearance of that sex, 
Angola is its native country. There is a nearly-allied spe- 
cies from the Cape of Good Hope. 

The Greeks applied the name Ko\otog to a small species 
of crow, probably the jackdaw. The same term has been 
used in later times to designate a genus of birds found in 
Africa, though not peculiar to that continent,— the genus 
Colius, These birds, though the structure of their feet 
offers no analogous formation, climb trees like parakeets, 
dwell in large troops, build together numerous nests on the 
same bushes, and are sometimes found sleeping together in 
masses, suspended by the feet, with their heads downwards 
They live on fruits, and occur both at the Cape of Good 
Hope and in Senegal. 

Of the genus Buphaga, peculiar to Africa, there are only 
two species, called the African and the red-billed beef* 
eaters. The former is a singular bird, both in its aspect 
and manners. It is frequent in Senegal, and its food con- 
sists of the larvae of restri or gadflies, which it picks from 
beneath the skin of the larger cattle. Le Vaillant also ob- 
served it in the country of the Namaquas, and he states 
that it is usually seen in flocks of six or eight together. 

Several species of roller inhabit the African continent. 
The European roller, commonly so called (Coracias gar-' 
rula), is in fact an African species, although it sometimes 
beautifies the woods of more northern countries with its 
azure hues. Other species are found in the Angolese and 
Abyssinian territories. 

Of the goat-sucker tribe, generically distributed over 
almost every country of the world, Africa also possesses a 
few species, of which one of great beauty was lately dis- 
covered by Ruppell, the Frankfort traveller, in Nubia and 
Sennaar. It is the Caprimulgus eximius of M. Temminck, 

The last-named genus conducts naturally to the swallow 
tribe, of which Africa, if not the native country, is at least 
supposed to share with us the society for one-half the year. 
Besides its migratory species, it possesses several of a less 
restless character, which dwell there throughout the entire 



BIRDS. 329 

season, and remain for ever in ignorance of those cool and 
refreshing waters into which our own delightful visitants 
are so often seen to dip their slender wings. 

The hoopoes resemble the swallows in their migratory 
movements, but they are classed with the Tenuirostres, on 
account of their slender bills. The common hoopoe, though 
an African bird, has been several times shot in Britain ; 
and the ■marcheur largv/p of Le Vaillant appears to belong 
to the same genus, and inhabits the country of the CafTres. 

Nearly united to the last-named species are the prome- 
rops, a limited but magnificent group, different species of 
which are found in Africa, India, and New-Guinea. The 
most remarkable of the African kinds is the red-billed 
promerops (P. erythrorhynchus), probaLN first described by 
Dr. Latham, from a specimen in the collection of the 
Dutchess of Portland. Its length, including the tail, is 15 
inches. The general colour is black, glossed with red, 
violet, and golden-green ; the red predominates on the 
head, the golden-green on the wing-coverts, and the violet 
on the back and tail. All the tail-feathers, except the two 
in the centre, are marked near the tip by an oval white spot 
on each side the web ; and several of the quill feathers of 
the wings have also a white spot on their inner webs, near 
the tip. The bill is long, slender, moderately curved, and 
of a red or orange colour. The legs are also red. 

Although Africa cannot boast of possessing any of those 
jewels of ornithology, the fairy humming-birds, which dart 
like sunbeams among the flowery parterres of the western 
world, — 

" And on their restless fronts 
Bear stars, illumination of all gems ;" 

yet the eye of the naturalist who has studied the unsur- 
passed splendour of the soui-mangas, or sugar-eaters, will 
scarcely desiderate any other beauty. These birds, belong- 
ing to the genus Cynniris of Baron Cuvier, were foimerly 
classed with the creepers. They are distinguished by their 
long and slender bills, the mandibles of which are finely 
toothed or serrated on their edges ; and their tongues, which 
are capable of considerable extension, are terminated by a 
small fork. Several of the species occur in the Indian 
wchipelago, but the greater* proportion are of African 
Eo2 



330 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA 

origiri, and may be said to form the most signal and ad» 
mired feature in the ornithology of that country. 

The superb creeper is an elegant bird, described and 
figured in the magnificent work of M. Vieillot. Its length 
is six inches : the crown of the head, upper part of the 
neck, smaller wing-coverts, back, and rump, are bright 
greenish-gold ; the throat is violet-blue, glossed with gold ; 
across the upper part of the breast runs a bar of bright 
gilded-yellow, beneath which the whole upper parts are 
deep-brownish crimson ; the wings and tail are blackish- 
brown; the legs are also brown, and the bill is black. 
This species was discovered in Malimba, by M. Perrien, 
and is one of the rarest as well as most beautiful of the 
genus. 

Another highly-adorned species, such as 

" Limners love to paint, and ladies to look upon," 

Is called, par excellence, the African creeper. It is a native 
of the Cape of Good Hope, and is found in woody situa- 
tions. In addition to a splendid plumage, it is highly ad- 
mired for its musical powers, and its song is by some 
esteemed equal to that of the nightingale. 

The spotted-breasted creeper ( C. macwlata) dwells in the 
forests of Malimba, and frequently approaches the habita- 
tions of the natives, allured by the flowers of the cytisus 
cajan, commonly called the Congo pea, which, according to 
Dr. Shaw is much cultivated by the negroes. The violet- 
headed creeper ( C. violacea) is a native of the Cape of Good 
Hope. It likewise dwells in woods, and is said to build a 
nest of singularly elegant and ingenious structure. Our re- 
stricted limits will not admit of our expatiating on this de- 
lightful tribe. 

The next African genus which claims our attention is 
MeropS) which includes the bee-eaters, a group not more 
remarkable for beauty of colour than gracefulness of form. 
These birds feed on insects, and build their nests in the 
holes of banks. The common bee-eater (Merops apiaster), 
notwithstanding its designation, is one of the rarest of Eu^ 
ropean birds, and is certainly one of the most beautiful. It 
occurs in Africa, and spreads from thence into Greece and 
the Mediterranean Archipelago. Many other species of 



BIRDS. 331 

bee-eater inhabit this continent ; but for these we must 
refer the reader to Le Vaillant and other writers. 

Amid the infinitely varied forms and colours which cha- 
racterize and adorn the feathered race, we know of none 
more worthy of admiration than those exhibited bj the 
great family of the kingfishers. The size and length of the 
bill are indeed somewhat disproportioned to the dimensions 
of the body ; but the shining silky lustre of the plumage, 
and the finely varied hues of the most brilliant green and 
blue, contrasted with different shades of orange, black, and 
brown, render this genus one of the most showy and at- 
tractive within the range of the ornithological system. 
The continent which forms the subject of our present dis- 
quisition is rich in the genus. We shall at present, how- 
ever, mention only the Smyrna kingfisher {A. Smyr* 
nensis), which, when in perfect plumage, is one of the most 
brilliant of the feathered race. — " The lucid blue of the 
wings," says Dr. Shaw, " scarcely yielding in lustre to 
those of the splendid butterfly called Papilio Menelaus." 
Its colours seem to vary in different individuals. Several 
fine species of this extensive genus occur in the island of 
Madagascar. 

Among the more remarkable of the African birds we 
must not omit to mention the species of the genus Buceros, 
commonly called hornbills. These occur also in Celebes 
and the Philippine Islands, but many species are peculiar 
to Africa. The hornbills may he said to occupy the same 
station in the old world as the toucans do in the new. 
Both are alike distinguished by the enormous size of their 
bills, and by a mixture in their dispositions of the carni- 
vorous with the frugivorous propensities. The African 
hornbill (B. Africanus) is entirely black, and nearly as large 
as a turkey. The only other species of this singular genus 
which we shall mention, is the crowned hornbill (B. coro- 
natus). Compared with the preceding it is a ve?y small 
bird, scarcely equalling the dimensions of a magpie. Le 
Vaillant saw a flock of more than five hundred of these 
birds assembled in company with crows and vultures, and 
preying on the remains of slaughtered elephants. The 
crowned hornbill is figured by Mr. Swainson in the third 
rolume of his beautiful illustrations. 

We shall now take a brief view of the scansorial or 



332 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

climbing birds of Africa. Several woodpeckers inhabit this 
continent. The double-bearded woodpecker (Picus dio- 
phrys) inhabits Southern Africa; ana the crested wood- 
pecker (P. minutus, Temm.) is found in Senegal. The 
gold-shafted woodpecker (now placed in the genus Colaptes) 
is likewise an African species. 

Many kinds of cuckoo occur in Africa. The old Lin- 
naean genus Cuculus has been greatly subdivided by modern 
writers. The group included under the genus Ccntrcpus 
are remarkable for the long claw with which the inner hind 
toe is furnished. They are found in India, Africa, and the 
island of Java. The didric or shining cuckoo {Cuculus 
auratus) is probably the most beautiful of the tribe. The 
upper parts of the plumage are of a rich golden-green ; on 
the head are five stripes of white, two above the eyes, like 
eyebrows, passing behind ; two more, shorter and narrower, 
beneath the eyes ; and one on the middle of the forehead. 
The wing and tail coverts, and the secondary quills are 
tipped with white. Most of the under-parts are likewise 
white. This bird was found by Le Vaillant, inwards from 
the Cape, near Kok's Kraal. He named it didric, from its 
continually uttering these syllables in various modulations, 
when perched on the extremities of large trees. 

While recording the names of so many species remark- 
able for their lustrous plumage, we must not here omit to 
mention others not less notable for their singular instincts 
and modes of life. Among these the indicators or honey- 
guides, by some authors classed with the cuckoos, are de- 
serving of special notice. One species described by Dr. 
Sparrman is said to attract the notice of the Dutch and 
Hottentots by a shrill cry of cher, cher; and when it per- 
c( ives itself observed, it flutters onwards to the hive of a 
wild bee, in hopes of partaking of the plundered honey. 
** I have had frequent opportunities of seeing this bird, and 
have been w r itness to the destruction of several republics 
of bees, by means of its treachery. I had, however, but 
two opportunities of shooting it, which I did" to the great 
indignation of my Hottentots." 

We may here observe, that naturalists themselves seem 
occasionally to belong to that irritabile genus, of which 
poets are said to form the principal component parts. 
Though Sparrman asserts that he was a frequent eyewit- 



BIRDS. 333 

ness of the curious instinctive habits of the honey-guide, 
yet Le Vaillant doubts if that traveller ever saw the bird at 
all. He says that the account is merely a repetition of a 
fable that is known and believed by credulous people at the 
Cape, and that it is false to suppose that the bird seeks to 
draw man after it for the purpose of sharing the plundered 
sweets ; the fact being that the bird calls not the man, but 
that the man knows by attending to the natural cry of the 
bird in search of food, that he will be sure ere long to find 
the stores of the bee. According to Bruce, the moroc, for 
so this singular species is sometimes named, occurs in 
Abyssinia; but he also throws discredit on Sparrman's 
relation. We have seen, in the preceding chapter, that 
Lichtenstein doubted the truth of Le Vaillant's account of 
the camelopard ; we now find Le Vaillant himself equally 
skeptical of the accuracy of the Swedish traveller, and 
joined therein by Bruce, whose own statements were at 
one period scarcely credited at all. However, to conclude 
a subject which has already too long detained us, we shall 
observe that Mr. Barrow, a most careful and accurate in- 
quirer, though not a professed zoologist, confirms Dr. 
Sparrman's account, as follows : — " Every one in that 
country (the interior of the southern extremity of Africa) is 
too well acquainted with the moroc to have any doubts as 
to the certainty either respecting the bird or its information 
of the repositories of the bees." 

The sagacious and imitative family of the parrots (PsiU 
tacidrz) is the next to demand a brief record. Though one of 
the most numerous groups of the feathered creation, it is by 
no means abundant in species, when considered merely in 
reference to its African relations. The gorgeous maccaws 
are peculiar to South America, the cockatoos to New-Hol- 
land and the Eastern Islands, the lories to the East Indies 
and the Moluccas ; and the greater proportion of parrots 
and parakeets, commonly so called, are more truly charac* 
teristic of the tropical regions of other countries than of 
Africa. Yet here also this noisy and loquacious race are 
not unknown, although the far-spread forests are its chosen 
dwelling-places rather than the barren sands. Africa, how- 
ever, has also her shady bowers as well as thirsty Saharas ; 

" For He, at whose command the parched rock 
Was smitten, and poured forth a quenching stream, 



334 NAiTTRAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

Hath softened that obduracy, and made 
Unlooked-for gladness in the desert place 
To save the perishing." 

The Greeks and Romans became acquainted with the 
parrot kind, in consequence of certain species of these birds 
having been imported from the East soon after Alexander's 
Indian expedition. The Alexandrian parrot, especially, so 
remarkable for its elegant form and docile disposition, is 
generally supposed to have been brought to Europe about 
that time from the island of Ceylon, the ancient Tabrobane. 
In the reign of Nero, the Romans introduced other species 
from different quarters of Africa. They were highly prized 
by that luxurious people, who lodged them in superb cages 
of silver, ivory, and tortoise-shell ; and the price of a parrot 
in those days frequently exceeded that of a slave. Nor did 
Ovid think it beneath him to write a lengthened elegy on 
the death of Comma's parrot, — a bird, which, in the love it 
bore its mistress, seems to have emulated that of the dying 
Greek for his country : — 

" Clamavit moriens lingua, Corinna, vale ! 

It is only in these degenerate days that the keeping ot a 
cockatoo is brought forward in a court of justice in proof of 
an alienated or imbecile mind.* We trust, that in some 
instances, at least, such inference may be fairly classed as 
a " non sequitur." 

One of the earliest imported of the African species ap- 
pears to have been the gray or ash-coloured parrot (Psit- 
tacus erithacus), still remarkable for its easy loquacity and 
general imitative powers. To this species probably be- 
longed the individual mentioned by Cselius Rhodoginus, and 
which belonged to Cardinal Ascanius. " I cannot," says 
that author, " omit an extraordinary wonder seen in our 
times. This was a parrot at Rome, belonging to Cardinal 
Ascanius, who purchased it for a hundred gold pieces, and 
which, in the most articulate and uninterrupted manner, 
recited the Apostles' Creed as well as the best reader could 
have done, and which, as a most extraordinary and won- 
derful thing, I could not pass unnoticed." 

* See the case of Dundonald versus Roy, as lately reported at length 
In the Scotch newspapers. 



BIRDS. 335 

We shall mention only two other Afr.^an species of this 
tribe, viz. the damask parrct (P. i?ifuscatns), of which an 
interesting account is given by Le Vaillant, and the Guinea 
parrct (P. pullarius), apparently figured on the 40th plate 
of the second volume of Seba's Thesaurus. 

That division of the Linnasan genus Bucco now called 
Pogonias, is peculiar to Africa. It contains about six spe- 
cies, of which the manners are little known. That called 
the Abyssinian barbican by Latham, was observed to cling 
to the branches of trees like a woodpecker. 

Of the Trogons, an extensive tribe, of brilliant plumage 
but ungraceful forms, the greater part are proper to Asia 
and America, We are indebted to Le Vaillant for the 
figure and description of an African species discovered by 
him in the country of the CafTres, and called Narina, which, 
it seems, in the Hottentot language signifies a flower. It 
is the Trogon narina of systematic writers. 

We come now to a limited tribe, entirely peculiar to 
Africa, — the plantain-eaters, genus Musophaga. These 
are large birds, elegantly shaped, and richly coloured. 
The species are few in number, and their history is still ob- 
scure. Allied to the preceding are the Touracos, likewise 
characteristic of the African continent. One of the most 
beautiful was classed by Linnseus with the cuckoos, — the 
Cuculu-s persa of that great observer. Le Vaillant says that 
there, are great numbers of touracos in the country of the 
Kottinquas,— that they are very difficult to shoot, as they 
perch only on the summits of the tallest trees, and rarely 
suffer any one to come within gunshot, — but that they are 
easily caught alive by snares, baited with such fruits as are in 
season. He adds that they are excellent eating. Another 
species of this genus which it is delightful to look upon, 
is the Pauline touraco, Corythaix Paulina. It inhabits 
Southern Africa. M. Vieillot had one alive, and he informs 
us that its manners were mild and familiar : it lived on 
succulent fruits, and was fond of sugar ; its habits wero 
active, and its voice sonorous and apparently ventriloqual. 



The different tribes and genera belonging to the great 
order of gallinaceous birds are the next to claim our regard. 
The sympathies of such of our readers (if such there be) as 
are regardless of that beauty of form and splendour of 



336 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

colour to which we have already so often attracted theif 
attention, would probably yield more readily to certain cu- 
linary associations connected with poultry, turkeys, phea- 
sants, grouse, <fcc. ; all of which, and many more equally 
dear to the late Dr. Kitchener, belong to the present exten- 
sive division of our subject. It happens, however, that 
cocks and hens are of eastern origin, that turkeys are native 
only to America,— ^that pheasants come from the banks of 
the Phasis, — and that grouse are peculiar to northern 
countries. We must therefore, in the mean time, be con- 
tented with a few pigeons. 

The genus Columba is widely diffused over both the tem- 
perate and tropical regions of the earth. Its species abound 
in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America ; and, even in the 
forests of the far^distant islands of the Southern Ocean* 
their radiant plumage 

" Fills many a damp obscure recess 
With lustre of a saintly show." 

One of the most magnificent of the tribe is the hackled 
pigeon (C. Frantice). It is distinguished from all others 
by the irregular form of the feathers on the head, neck, and 
breast, which are long and narrow, and terminate in a 
shining appendage resembling in consistence, though not 
in colour, that with which the wing- feathers of the Bohe- 
mian chatterer are furnished. The species inhabits Southern 
Africa and the island of Madagascar. A still more singular 
bird is the parabolic pigeon (C. arquatrix). It was dis- 
covered by Le Vaillant, and is figured in his splendid 
work on the birds of Africa. The flight of this species is 
very remarkable. It never proceeds in a straight line, but 
on commencing its route it describes a parabola, and con- 
tinues forming a series of arcs during the whole time, fre- 
quently uttering a peculiar cry. It inhabits the forests of 
Anteniquois, and is a great enemy to the white eagle. 

The Guinea fowls, or pintados, are entirely peculiar to 
Africa as native species, though they now breed freely as 
domestic birds both in Europe and America. There are 
three kinds of this bird known to naturalists, viz. the Guinea 
pintado {Numida meleagris), common in our poultry-yards ; 
the mitred pintado (JV. mitrata) ; and the crested pintado 
(N> cristata). 



BIRDS. 337 

Quails are remarkable for a certain compactness of form 
and neatness of plumage, which, in the absence of brilliant 
colouring, produces a highly pleasing effect. In regard to 
the African species, we shall content ourselves with naming 
the Madagascar quail {Colurnix perlata), which is about 
twice the size of our British visitant. It is also distin- 
guished from the others by the strength of its beak. 

Very few partridges, properly so called, occur in this 
sandy continent. The Barbary partridge (Perdrix petrosa) 
is abundant along the African shores of the Mediterranean. 
It also occurs in Teneriffe, and along the western coast as 
far as Senegal. Of the genera Pterocles, Francolinus, and 
Turnix, there are likewise representatives in this country* 
C ranch's Francolin (F. Cranchii) was discovered by the 
indefatigable and unfortunate collector whose name it bears, 
during the ill-fated expedition to explore the source of the 
Congo under Captain Tuckey. It is described by Dr. 
Leach in the appendix to the published narrative of that 
disastrous voyage. 

Of the African grouse, we may say, as Horrebow says, in 
his brief chapter " On the Rats of Iceland," — " There are 
no rats in Iceland ;" so neither are there any grouse in 
Africa. 

A few lines may now be devoted to a species t» uich not 
only forms the most remarkable character in the ornitho- 
logy of Africa, to which country it is now believed to be 
entirely peculiar, but presents in itself the most singular 
example of the feathered race. This extraordinary bird is 
the ostrich, the tallest of its class, and probably the swiftest 
of all running creatures. It is distinguished from every 
other bird by having only two toes on each foot. It in- 
habits the open and sandy plains of a great extent of 
Africa, from Barbary to the Cape of Good Hope ; and 
being consequently native to one of the most anciently- 
peopled countries of the earth, it has excited the attention 
of mankind from the remotest periods of antiquity. It is 
frequently mentioned in the Book of Job, and in other por- 
tions of the Old Testament. Herodotus, among the early 
Greek writers, was acquainted with its history and appear- 
ance ; and in after-times it was not only frequently ex- 
ibited by the Bomans in their games, but the brains of 
Ff 



338 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

hundreds at a time were scooped out, and served up as a 
choice delicacy on the luxurious table of Heliogabalus. 

To exemplify the great strength and swiftness of this 
gigantic biped, we shall transcribe the following circum- 
stance, narrated by Adanson, as having taken place at 
Podor, a French factory on the southern bank of the river 
Niger : — " Two ostriches which had been about two years 
in the factory, and, although young, were nearly of their 
full size, were so tame that two little blacks mounted both 
together on the back of the largest : no sooner did he feel 
their weight, than he began to run as fast as possible, and 
carried them several times round the village, as it was im- 
possible to stop him otherwise than by obstructing the 
passage. This sight pleased me so much that I ordered it 
to be repeated ; and, to try their strength, directed a full- 
grown negro to mount the smallest, and two others the 
largest. This burden did not seem at all disproportioned 
to their strength. At first they went at a tolerably sharp 
trot, but when they became heated a little, they expanded 
their wings as though to catch the wind, and moved with 
such fleetness that they scarcely seemed to touch the ground. 
Most people have, one time or other, seen a partridge run, 
and consequently must know that there is no man whatever 
able to keep up with it ; and it is easy to imagine that if 
this bird had a longer step, its speed would be considerably 
augmented. The ostrich moves like the partridge, with 
this advantage ; and I am satisfied that those I am speak- 
ing of would have distanced the fleetest race-horses that 
were ever bred in England : it is true they would not hold 
out so long as a horse, but they would undoubtedly be able 
to go over the space in less time. I have frequently beheld 
this sight, which is capable of giving one an idea of the pro- 
digious strength of an ostrich, and of showing what use it 
might be of, had we but the method of breaking and ma- 
naging it as we do a horse." 

Greatly inferior in size, but not very dissimilar in form, 
are the bustard tribe, of which the most recently discovered 
African species is designated Otis Denhami by Mr. Vigors, 
in honour of the late intrepid and accomplished traveller of 
that name. 

We now arrive at the Grallalores, or long-legged birds, 



BIRDS. 339 

commonly called waders, on account of the semi- aquatic 
propensities by which so many of them are distinguished. 
Of these the most gracefully formed are the demoiselles, or 
lady-birds (Ardea pavonia and Ardea virgo, Linn.), both of 
African origin. They are not unfrequently exhibited in 
menageries under the name of crown-birds, or Balearic 
cranes. 

The flamingo tribe are remarkable for the length of their 
legs. The species occasionally found in Europe (Phoeni- 
copterus ruber) is native to the warmer regions of Asia and 
Africa. The bird described under that name by Alexander 
Wilson, in his American Ornithology, is a distinct species, 
mentioned as such long ago by Molina, in his Natural His- 
tory of Chili. It is alluded to by Thomas Crsmpbeil in his 
Gertrude of Wyoming : — 

"Then, where of Indian hills the daylight takes 
His leave, how might you the flamingo see 
Disporting like a meteor on the lakes." 

The lesser flamingo (P. minor of Vieillot and Temminck) 
is a species discovered of late years as an inhabitant of 
various parts of Africa, from Senegal to the Cape of Good 
Hope. 

The gigantic stork (Ciconia argala) though well known 
in Bengal, is likewise an African species. This bird is 
sometimes upwards of six feet in height. It is very com- 
mon in many of the interior parts of Africa, and is called 
marabou in Senegal. According to Major Denham, it is 
protected by the inhabitants on account of its services as a 
scavenger. Its appetite is most voracious, and nothing 
comes amiss to its omnivorous propensities. Smeathman 
has given a long account of a tame bird of this species. It 
regularly attended the hall at dinner-time, and placed itself 
behind its master's chair. It frequently helped itself to 
what it liked best ; and one day darted its enormous bill 
into a boiled fowl, which it swallowed in an instant. It 
used to fly about the whole country, and generally roosted 
high among some silk-cotton trees. From this station, at 
the distance of two or three miles, it could see when the 
dinner was carried across the court, when it immediately 
took wing, and flying with great swiftness, arrived in time 
to enter the house with some of those who carried the dishes* 



340 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

It sometimes remained in the room for half an hour after 
dinner, turning its head alternately from side to side, with 
an appearance of unusual gravity, as if listening to the 
conversation. It one day swallowed a cat. Is this the 
Ardea dubia of Gmelin ] 

Let us here insert the name of the umber (Scopus um~ 
bretta, Linn.), an African species, — the only one of its 
genus, of the manners of which we are still entirely ig- 
norant. 

Of the snipe and woodcock kind several species inhabit 
Africa. Of these we shall mention no more than the Cape 
snipe (Rhynchia Africana of Lesson), which occurs speci- 
fically the same, or at least apparently identical, in Bengal. 

Of the sandpiper tribe (Pelidna, Cuvier) a few occur along 
the African shores, and a new species of phalarope (Ph. 
Fimbriatus) has been recently described by M. Temminck 
as native to Senegal. 

The genus Cursorius is found in all the quarters of the 
globe, with the exception of America. The double-collared 
courier (C. Bieinctus) inhabits the interior of Southern Af- 
rica; Temminck's courier (C. Temminckii, Swainson) is 
found at Sierra Leone ; and the violet- winged courier (C 
chalcopterus, Temm.) comes from Senegal. 

The plover family are numerous in almost all parts of 
the world. Africa possesses nearly a dozen species, of 
which we shall mention merely the crowned plover ( Chara- 
drius coronatus), one of the largest of the genus, which oc- 
curs at the Cape of Good Hope. 



Of the Palmipedes, or web-footed water-fowl, we know 
of no great number peculiar to Africa. These birds are of 
wandering habits, and being possessed, in addition to their 
great power of wing, of the faculty of resting on the water, 
we can place no limits to the extent of their migratory 
movements. They thus become more cosmopolite than 
many of the other tribes, and are therefore less entitled to 
our attention during an exposition of the peculiar and more 
characteristic features of a particular continent. 

The first of this order which we shall name is the Cape 
penguin (Spheniscus Capensis). This bird is found on 
several of the southern portions of our globe, especially at 
the Cape and the Malouin Islands. It lives in immense 



BIRDS. 341 

numbers, congregated together in spots called rookeries by 
our voyagers. The eggs are much esteemed. 

The pelican (P. Onocrotalvs, Linn.), common alike to 
Asia and the eastern countries of Europe, is also found in 
Africa, where it has been observed both in Egypt and the 
Cape of Good Hope. 

Of the singular genus called plotus or darter, Le Vaillant 
made us acquainted with a species from Senegal and the 
Cape. It was also found in the interior of the country by 
Major Denham. 

The elegant and long-winged terns or sea-swallows may 
be enumerated among the African tribes. The slender- 
billed tern {Sterna tenuirostris, Temm.) is found upon the 
western coasts, and the white tern (S. Candida, Gmelin) 
inhabits the Cape of Good Hope. 

The buoyant and pearly-plumaged gulls, though more 
characteristic of the northern regions, are occasionally seen 
along the African shores. We are not, however, acquainted 
with any species peculiar to this continent. 

The genus albatross (Diomedea) probably contains the 
largest and longest winged of all the aquatic species. The 
wandering albatross (D. exulans) is equal in size to a swan, 
and its wings extend about ten feet. This bird is princi- 
pally met with in the seas adjacent to the Cape of Good 
Hope. 

The Cape petrel (Procellaria Capensis), as its title implies, 
occurs also near the last-named locality. It is common in 
the southern seas, but more especially in the vicinity of the 
Cape, where it flies in immense flocks. It is extremely 
voracious, and feeds on fish and the dead carcasses of whales. 
When caught, it squirts a quantity of oil from its nostrils. 

The spur-winged goose (Plectropterus Gambensis) is a 
singular species inhabiting Gambia and other parts of Af- 
rica. The anterior angles of its wings are armed with 
sharp projecting spines. 

The mountain goose (Anser montana) is a large species, 
with the wing feathers, and those of the head, of a bright 
shining reddish green. According to Latham, it inhabits 
the Cape of Good Hope, where it keeps mostly on the hills, 
and feeds on grass and herbs. * 

Among the larger of the web-footed tribes w T e must not 
omit to mention the Egyptian goose (Chcnalopex Egyptiaca, 
F f 2 



342 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

Stephens), so remarkable for its strong attachment to its 
young. It was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, and 
its sculptured figure is still recognisable among the hiero- 
glyphical representations of the Theban temples. It also 
occurs in the southern regions of Africa, and has not un- 
frequently been imported into Britain to beautify the waters 
of our pleasure-grounds ; but the love of liberty is deeply 
implanted in this bird, and it is with difficulty that even the 
young, born and bred in northern climates, are retained for 
a continuance in a state of satisfied domestication. 

The crimson-billed sheldrake {Tadoina erythrorhyncha) 
inhabits the Cape of Good Hope ; and a species of musk- 
duck {Anas Nilotica of Gmelin) is found in Upper Egypt, 
It is easily tamed, and lives on good terms with other poultry. 

From the preceding summary, the student of ornithology 
will be able to form a sufficiently correct idea of the rjre- 
vailing features which characterize this branch of science 
in Africa ; and, by comparing the present sketch with those 
which we purpose to exhibit of other countries in the future 
volumes of our series, he will likewise be enabled to esti- 
mate the peculiarities by which the continent in question is 
distinguished from all the other quarters of the globe. 



CHAPTER XX. 



Natural History of the Reptiles, Fishes, Shells, Insects, <£c. 
of Africa. 

Intermediate between the birds and fishes are the reptile 
race, divided by naturalists into four principal branches, the 
Chelonian, the Saurian, the Ophidian, and the Batrachian 
reptiles. Of all these, Africa, " fruitful in monsters," pro- 
duces some remarkable examples. 

In regard to the geographical distribution of reptiles, the 
first and most general observation is, that they augment 
in number as we advance towards the equatorial regions. 
While Sweden possesses scarcely a dozen lizards and 



REPTILES. 343 

nakes, about three or four frogs and toads, and not a single 
tortoise, the temperate parts of Europe produce about forty 
snakes and lizards, and several of the tortoise tribe. As 
soon as we gain the southern extremity of Spain, the num- 
ber of species in these tribes greatly increases, and in An- 
dalusia the African complexion of the country is still further 
manifested by the appearance of the chameleon. On pro- 
ceeding further south, not only does the number of reptiles 
increase, but they also augment in size, till, from the Tro- 
pic of Cancer onwards, and beyond the Line, we meet with 
the crocodiles, caymans, boas, and other giants of the reptile 
race. For the present, however, we must confine ourselves 
to a brief allusion to a very limited number of the African 
tribes. 

1st, Chelonian reptiles or tortoises and turtles. Several 
of this division occur in Africa, such as the Testudo Grczca, 
the Testudo triunguis, &c. 

2d, Saurian reptiles. To this division belong the croco- 
diles and lizards, the geckos, chameleons, and many others. 

The common crocodile (Lacerta crocodilus\ celebrated in 
the ancient history of Egypt, is spread over a considerable 
extent of this continent. 

" Erewhile, emerging from the brooding sand, 
With tiger paw he prints the brineless strand , 
High on the flood, with speckled bosom swims, 
Helmed with broad tail, and oared with giant limbs ; 
Rolls his fierce eyeballs, clasps his iron claws, 
And champs with gnashing teeth his massy jaws. 
Old Nilus sighs through all his cane-crowned shores, 
And swarthy Memphis trembles and adores." 

There are several different kinds of crocodile in the old 
and new world, and their tempers and dispositions seem to 
vary in different localities. Humboldt and Mungo Park 
regarded them with fear and trembling, while Audubon 
and Mr. Waterton hold them in little consideration either 
as friends or foes. Though seldom tamed, they are not by 
any means incapable of domestication, as has been demon- 
strated by many examples, both in ancient and modern 
times. 

Many lizards occur in Africa. We shall only mention 
one found near Mourzouk. It is called aselis> and, if not a 
Wue lizard» resembles one in form. When alarmed, it 



344 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

buries itself in the sand ; and when dropped from a 
height, it immediately sinks beneath the surface of the 
spot on which it fell. " These little creatures," says Cap- 
tain Lyon, " are eagerly bought by the girls and married 
women, for the purpose of ascertaining how many children 
they shall have. By stretching them the skin will imme- 
diately crack, and the women most religiously believe that 
for every sound they shall bear a child." 

One of the most remarkable families of the saurian tribe 
is that which contains the chameleons. The common 
species (Lacerta Africana) is found in Egypt, Barbary, and 
the south of Spain. The changes of colour in these ani- 
mals, though by some deemed fabulous, are now beyond 
dispute. The causes of these changes, however, and their 
mode of action, may still be classed among the more ob- 
scure points of natural history. They seem independent 
of external objects, and vary within a certain range, almost 
every hour. 

" Non mini tot cnltus immero comprendere fas est* 
Adjicit ornatus proxima quseque dies." 

3d, Ophidian reptiles, or serpents. Among the most re- 
markable of the African species of this division, is the ce- 
rastes, or horned viper. It is characterized by a small 
curved horn over each eyelid. It lives in the sand, and 
was well known to the ancients. Another singular ser- 
pent is the haje (Coluber haje, Linnseus). The Egyptian 
jugglers, by pressing the neck of this creature between 
their fingers, produce a kind of catalepsy which renders it 
stiff and motionless. This is rather a curious fact when 
considered in connexion with the scriptural narrative in the 
seventh chapter of Exodus, where the rods of the magicians 
when thrown down are converted into serpents. 

This species was regarded by the ancient Egyptians as 
the emblem of the protecting divinity of the world, and its 
figure is frequently sculptured on each side of a globe, on 
the outer gates of their temples. 

4th, The Batrachia?i reptiles, such as frogs, &c. Africa 
produces comparatively few species of this division. The 
soil is probably too dry. We shall here mention only 
the short-headed toad (Rcuia brcviceps.) described by Lia* 



FISHES. 345 

nseus in the Amanitates Academic^ vol. i. It is a very 

small species, native to Senegal and some other parts of 
Africa. 



The great and almost inexhaustible class of fishes next 
demands our attention. 

Our acquaintance with the laws which regulate the geo- 
graphical distribution of this class is extremely meager : in 
other words, the facts illustrating the greater or less ex- 
tension of their localities are few, and have never been 
properly generalized. From the immeasurable extent and 
continuous nature of the fluid which they inhabit, they are 
supplied by nature with greater facilities of dispersion than 
most other animals ; while the greater equality of the 
temperature of water, when compared with that of either 
earth or air, admits, in several instances, of the same spe- 
cies inhabiting almost every latitude from pole to pole. 
Those races especially, which, travelling together in vast 
shoals, speedily consume the natural food which each par- 
ticular spot affords, are obliged, like the pastoral tribes of 
old, or the woodland hunters of America, to remove from 
place to place in search of additional supplies, and thus the 
species acquires a more widely extended geographical dis- 
tribution. It is thus that the cod and herring are spread 
over the whole extent of the Northern Ocean, and in undi- 
minished numbers, notwithstanding the war of extermina- 
tion which man and other voracious animals appear to 
wage against them. Those species which lead a solitary 
and, as it may be called, a stationary life are frequently 
confined within very narrow limits. The Chceludons, for 
example, which delight in rocky coasts covered with madre- 
pores, attach themselves to the torrid zone, which produces 
so abundantly those magnificent ornaments of the sea. 
But though thus confined to particular spots, from which 
the individuals of the species never wander, the species 
itself may be said to be repeated again in different and 
distant regions, separated from each other by almost in- 
surmountable obstacles. Thus, many of what may be 
termed stationary species are found identically the same 
along the coasts of Brazil, in the Arabian Gulf, and over 
the multiplied shores of Polynesia. It has hence been 
concluded that such species, incapable of colonizing them- 



346 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

selves by leaving their accustomed shores, and hazarding 
a journey across unknown oceans, have either been created 
in more places than one, or have been enabled to transport 
themselves by means different from any of those which are 
now available in the ordinary course of nature.* 

If the natural means by which the more powerful species, 
inhabiting the saline waters of the ocean, have spread 
themselves from clime to clime, be in some measure within 
the reach of our comprehension, it is otherwise with those 
peculiar to rivers and the waters of inland lakes. How 
these have contrived to migrate from one region to another, 
and to people with identical species the depths of far-re- 
moved and solitary waters, separated from each other by 
chains of lofty mountains, or wide-extended wastes of desert 
sand, is a problem which, in the present state of our 
knowledge, we seek in vain to solve. f 

Of the genus Murctna several species occur in the African 
seas. The spotted muraena (M. guttata) was observed by 
Forskall in the Red Sea. A small species of goby, scarcely 
exceeding an inch in length, is found in the Nile. It is the 
Gobius apluja of Linnaeus. We may here mention, that the 
name aphi/a, by which this species has been distinguished, 
seems to have been applied by the ancient writers to such 
small fishes as they vaguely supposed to have been produced 
rather from the foam of the ocean than according to the 
usual process of nature.^ Several species of bull-head 
(Cottus) are described by Commerson, and the genus Scor 
pana, so eccentric in its forms, is represented in the African 
seas, among others, by the Cape scorpsena (S. Capensis), 
mentioned by Gronovius. A magnificent fish, called the 
opah dory (Zeus luna), inhabits the African shores. Dr. 
Mortimer exhibited a fish of this kind to the Royal Society 
in 1750, which was taken " on the coast of Lcith ;" and he 
adds (in the Phil. Trans, for that year), that the Prince of 
Anamaboe, being then in England, immediately recognised 
it, and said it was common in his country, and was excellent 
eating. 

* See Gaymard's Memoire sur la Distribution Gcographique des 
Poissnns. 

t See farther on this subject the 5th number of my Illustrations of 
Zoology. 

\ See Shaw's General Zoology, vol. v/pi 245 



FISHES. 347 

The Remora,) so remarkable for its faculty of adhering to 
other fishes by a peculiar sucker-shaped organ on the top 
of its head, is found in the Mediterranean and other saline 
waters which wash the African shores. The olive-green 
remora (Echeneis cauda rotundata of Bloch) is common on 
the coasts of Mozambique. A species of Labrus (L. Nilo- 
ticus) inhabits the Nile ; and the star-eyed Bodian (Bodi- 
anus stellifer) is native to the seas about the Cape. The 
silvery mackarel {Scomber crumenophthalmus) is found in 
considerable plenty about the coasts of Guinea, and the 
Scomber chloris is also an African species. 

The surmullet {Mullus ruber) so famous as an epicurean 
delicacy among the Romans, and so highly, though not very 
humanely, admired for the splendour of its dying hues, is 
found both along the African and European shores of the 
Mediterranean. " Vide," says Seneca, " quomodo exarserit 
rubor omni acrior minio ! vide quas per latera venas agat ! 
Ecce ! sanguinem putes ventrem ! quam lucidum quiddam cos* 
ruleumque sub ipso tempore efFulsit ! jam porrigitur et pallet, 
et in unum colorem componitur !" The flying gurnard ( Tri- 
gla volitans) may likewise be mentioned as a Mediterranean 
species of singular habits and great beauty. It swims in shoals 
and delights the voyager by its short and frequent flights. 

The electric silure (Silurus electricus) dwells in the rivers 
of Africa. It was observed by Forskall in the Nile, by 
whom, however, in his Fauna Arabica, it is improperly 
named Raja torpedo* Another species of Silurus called 
platte-kop, or fiat-head, occurs in the fresh waters of South- 
ern Africa. Mr. Burchell observed two boys of the Bush- 
men tribe fishing for this species. They stood by the wa- 
ter-side, motionless as herons. After waiting patiently for 
half an hour, a fish came within their reach, and was in- 
stantly pierced through with their spears or assagays. It 
was nearly three feet long, entirely of a lead colour, but ap- 
proaching to white underneath. The head was very broad 
and flat, the eyes pale yellow and extremely small, and the 
mouth was bearded with several very long strings. The 
flesh was white, rich, and nutritious. This fish seems to 
occur only in those rivers which run to the western coast 
(that is, to the northward of the Cape of Good Hope), 
while, on the other hand, eels have never been seen in any 
but those which fall into the ocean eastward of that cape. 



348 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

Of the salmon genus, the Salmo fulvus, a fierce and hun- 
gry fish, is much esteemed as an article of food by the inha- 
bitants of Guinea. The notable genus Polypterus was first 
scientifically distinguished by M. GeofTroy. Its shape is 
long, cylindrical, and serpentiform ; the head is defended 
by large bony plates ; and the body is covered by strong 
scales, resembling those of a coat of mail. This fish is 
called bichin by the Egyptians, and is considered as very 
rare. It is said to dwell in the soft mud of the Nile, and is 
the finest flavoured of all the Nilotic fishes ; but as it is 
hardly possible to open the skin with a knife, the fish is first 
boiled, and the skin afterward drawn off almost entire. The 
tooth-tongued argentine (A. Glossodonta) is a beautiful spe- 
cies, native to the Red Sea ; and the pearl-bladdered argen- 
tine (A, Sphyrana) is a Mediterranean fish of the same ge- 
nus. The air-bladder of this species is equally bright and 
beautiful with its external parts, and along with these is 
much used in the preparation of artificial pearls. 

The flying-fish (Exoecetus exiliens) is remarkable for the 
great length of its pectoral fins, which enable it to sustain 
itself above the waves for several hundred yards. The 
silvery polyneme (P. Niloticus) is a very elegant fish, of 
great excellence as an article of food. Its mode of capture 
m the Nile is described by Bruce. The ten-fingered poly- 
neme (P. decadactylus\ likewise esteemed a very wholesome 
and agreeable fish, occurs along the coasts of Guinea, and 
occasionally enters the rivers of that country. Of fishes 
allied to the herring, Africa produces several species. The 
Clupea Africana is said to be extremely plentiful during the 
summer months in the last-named district ; and the dorab 
herring (C. dorab) is described by Forskall as native to the 
Red Sea. Among the carp tribe we shall merely mention 
the Cyprinus gonorhynchus, mentioned by Gronovius as an 
inhabitant of the Cape seas. We may observe in passing, 
that a great variety of fish are caught in the salt waters 
which environ the Cape ; but fresh fish are there so rare, 
that Mr. Burchell " does not recollect having seen any at 
table except eels, and these were regarded as a curiosity."* 
The genus Mormyrus seems almost entirely peculiar to the 
Nile. 

Of the cartilaginous fishes, several species of ray inhabit 
* Travels, voi. i. p. 79. 



fish. 349 

the African seas. For example, the Raja guttata was seen 
by Commerson along the coasts of Madagascar, and the 
lymna and pearled rays (R. lymna and sephen) both occur 
in the Red Sea. It is from the skin of the last-named 
species that the beautiful substance called Galluchat by the 
French is prepared. It is tinted with blue, green, or red, 
according to the taste of the artist, and being afterward 
polished, is used in the manufacture of different kinds of 
cases, telescope-tubes, &c. The younger specimens, ac- 
cording to La Cepede, are preferred, — the tubercular coat 
of the full-grown individuals being rather too rough for the 
desired purpose. Several species of shark inhabit the Af- 
rican seas. They are disagreeable to bathers. 

The extraordinary genus Ostracion, or trunk-fish, distin- 
guished by the peculiar bony crust or covering in which it 
is enveloped, is widely distributed over the Indian and Ame- 
rican oceans. Of the African species we may name the 
tuberculated trunk-fish (C. tuberculatus), by some regarded 
as a mere variety of Ostracion triqueter, a kind much 
esteemed for the uses of the table in the East Indies. The 
not less remarkable tribe included in the genus Tetrodon 
are represented in Africa by the lineated species (T. line* 
atus) which sometimes occurs in the Nile, where Hasselquist 
was assured by the fishermen, that on seizing this fish 
in the water their hands were frequently stung as if by 
nettles. 

The last genus to which we shall allude is that called 
Syngnathus, or pipe-fish. Some of these are found in the 
northern seas, others in the equatorial ; while the most 
remarkable of all is the foliated pipe-fish (Hippocampus fo- 
liatus, Cuvier), which has hitherto occurred only along the 
shores of New-Holland and Van Dieman's Land. The 
pelagic pipe-fish (S. pelagicus) is found in the African seas. 

We shall close our ichthyological department by two 
short extracts. " I was present," says M. Adanson, " at a 
very extraordinary capture of fish, made the same month 
(March, 1750) on the coast of Ben, within a league of the 
island Goree, by the company belonging to one of the East 
India ships, which had anchored in the road. They had 
only a net of about sixty fathoms, which they threw at a 
venture into .the sea ; for they were not so lucky as to espy 
any of those shoals of fishes : yet they had such surprising 
G £ 



350 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

success, that the shore was covered the whole length of the 
net with the fish they caught, though the net was in a bad 
condition. I reckoned part of them, and judged that they 
might in all be upwards of 6000, the least of them as large 
as a fine carp. There you might see pilchards, rock-fish, 
mullets, or gull-fish, of different sorts ; molebats, with other 
fishes very little known. The negroes of the neighbouring 
village took each their load, and the ship's crew filled their 
boat until it was ready to sink, leaving the rest on the sea- 
shore. In any other country, such a capture of fish would, 
without all doubt, pass for a miracle."* 

The fossil fish of Africa are scarcely known. The fol- 
lowing passage, in illustration of that curious branch, is 
from Lichtenstein's Travels • — " In the slate-stone from 
which the spring rose were the impressions of an innume- 
rable multitude of fishes. We perceived this extraordinary 
appearance first upon the surface ; but the impressions were 
larger, more distinct, and finer in proportion as we broke 
deeper and deeper into the stone. The form of the fish 
resembled that of the eel, and the length of the largest was 
about three feet. The brittleness of the slate made it im- 
possible for us to get out a single specimen entire ; and the 
fragments which we preserved, for the purpose of examin- 
ing them at our leisure, were afterward destroyed by the 
jolting of the wagon. The more I made myself acquainted 
with this country by my subsequent travels, the more re- 
markable did the phenomena appear to me, as being the 
only remains of a former world which I found throughout 
the whole of Southern Africa."f We must now proceed to 
the next division of our subject. 

The Mollusca and Conchifera of Africa next demand our 
attention. To these extensive classes belong whatever 
species are known under the general names of shellfish 
and shells. The precise localities of African cOnchology 
are, in truth, so superficially ascertained that, even if 
the portion of our present volume originally allotted to 
the zoological department had not been already much more 
than exhausted, we should have found great difficulty in 

* Voyage to Senegal, p. 178. 

f Travels in Southern Africa, vol. i. p. 95, 



SHELLS. 351 

satisfying either ourselves or our readers. In the absence, 
however, of fuller and more circumstantial information, we 
must rest contented with the following brief details : — 

The shells of the warmer regions of the earth, as well as 
the birds and insects, are generally distinguished from those 
of colder countries by the greater beauty of their forms and 
colouring ; and those of Africa, while they participate in 
this splendid character, are yet more highly valued in con- 
sequence of their comparatively rare occurrence in collec- 
tions. The productions of the African seas are probably 
less known than those of any other quarter of the globe. 

The Mediterranean affords very numerous species, al- 
though the very slight changes of level which its waters 
undergo render its testaceous productions less easily ob- 
tained than in more northern latitudes, 

"Where the redundant seas wash up fresh stores." 

A few of the more remarkable animals of these classes 
which occur in the Mediterranean are,< — several kinds of 
cuttle-fish, such as Sepia officinalis, Loligo vulgaris, and L. 
sepiola ; Argonauta Argo, Janthina communis, Isocardium 
globosum, Cardila sulcata, and ajar ; Spondylus gaderopus, 
Avicula tarentina, Cardium costatum,, Anatina globosa, Pholas 
dactylics, and several Pinna. The Tyrian purple of the 
ancients is supposed to have been obtained from the Purpura 
patula, common in this sea. The use of that splendid 
and regal die is now superseded by the discovery of the 
tinctorial uses of the cochineal, — a small and obscure insect, 
which the skill of the chemist has rendered indispensable 
even to the garments of kings. 

Egypt and the Valley of the Nile were first correctly ob- 
served by the skilful Savigny and the other naturalists of the 
great French expedition ; afterward by Olivier, and at a 
still later period by Cailliaud. A few species mentioned by 
Poiret, those described by Chemnitz, and the collection 
made by the Danish naturalist Grove from Morocco, 
form the chief materials of our knowledge of this de- 
partment along the Barbary coasts. The Red Sea, so 
full of shoals and coral reefs, is said to be peculiarly rich in 
shells ; but with the exception of the work of Forskall, and 
the more recent travels of Lord Valentia, we can scarcely 



352 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

indicate any proper sources of information regarding that 
quarter. 

The eastern shores of Africa are, in respect to this, as 
well as all other branches of natural history, almost entirely 
unknown. 

With the species of the western coasts we are somewhat 
better acquainted. Adanson described many of the shells 
of Senegal, and Bowdich a few from the Gambia. Mauge, 
Von Buch, and Bowdich made small collections from Ma- 
deira, Teneriife, and Porto Santo. Those islands are said 
to be rich in peculiar species, and therefore merit more 
particular attention than has yet been bestowed upon them. 
Along the western coasts numerous species also occur which 
are common to the tropical seas ; such as Cypraa Tigris^ 
moneta, and helvola, — several Olives, Cones, and Volutes, 
the pearl-oyster, Meleagrina margaritifera, &c. 

Of the land and fresh-water shells of the interior of this 
continent scarcely any thing is known. Le Vaillant de- 
scribed only a single species from Caffraria, though Dela- 
lande afterward collected many in that country ; and 
Bruce and Burchell have incidentally noticed a few from 
Abyssinia and the more southern districts. 

At the Cape of Good Hope the quantities of shells which 
cover the beaches are immense, and the natives frequently 
employ them for lime. But the heavy surf which so often 
thunders along the shores of this promontory (the Cape of 
Storms) seems to prevent the shells from being frequently 
gathered in a perfect state ; and South African specimens 
are therefore more rare in collections than might be expected. 
The coasts of Madagascar are said to be particularly rich 
in fine shells, although we have acquired as yet but a very 
meager knowledge of the testaceous productions of that 
great island. If its climate and political circumstances 
admitted of a closer and more assiduous search, treasures 
of great value would no doubt reward the toils of the con- 
chological collector. 

The northern and western coasts, though separated by 
so wide an extent of barren sands, offer in this department 
a few remarkable analogies. The Anadonta rubens of the 
Nile is found specifically the same in Senegal, and the 
Helix flammata of JNfubia has been observed along the banks 
of the Gambia. Among the African shells, a few occur 



INSECTS. 353 

extensively distributed over other countries. The Bulla 
striata is found in Egypt and Senegal, along the coasts of 
France find England, in the Antilles, and South America. 
The Turbo -pecraus, well known in Europe, is equally fami- 
liar to the sun-burnt collector at the Cape. The Helix as- 
persa, so abundant in ail the temperate countries of Europe, 
has also been found in Africa, and as far west as the Canary 
Islands. Another species, the Helix candidissima, frequent 
in France and Spain, has been found in Tripoli and other 
parts of the African continent. The Helix agira of Egypt 
and Barbary is found in Provence, though not in Italy ; 
while the Helix lactea of Spain and Algiers is unknown in 
Provence, yet extends northward as far as Rousillon. 

Of other African shells we shall mention merely the 
Cassis Madagascaricnsis, Patella grano.lina and tesiudinaria, 
Conus ammiralis, — a species highly prized by collectors, 
Volicta armata, Haliotis striata, and Oliva erythrostoma. 

The fossil shells of an extremely limited portion of Africa 
are partially exhibited in the great French work on Egypt ; and 
those of Mount Barkal have been illustrated by M. Cailliaud. 

Our knowledge of the geographical distribution of Insects, 
notwithstanding the more careful study of the subject which 
has prevailed of late years, may be said to be still in its 
infancy. LatreihVs little work, however imperfect, is the 
most complete with which we have as yet been furnished.* 

It is easy to suppose that if certain plants are peculiar to 
certain climates, so also insects, the greater proportion of 
which not only feed on plants, but are each according to 
its kind almost restricted to particular species, must in 
like manner be characteristic of special localities. The en- 
tomological characters of the southern shores of Europe 
strongly exhibit their geographical approach to the African 
continent. The Ateuchus sacer, various species of Scaurus 
and Akis, the European scorpion, several Cigala. Termites, 
and others, may be regarded, in the southern countries of 
Europe, as the avant-courriers of those more exclusively 

* " Introduction a la Geographie Generate des Arachnides et des In- 
eectes, ou des Climats propres a ees Animaux." This memoir was read 
to the Academy of Sciences in 1815, and forms part of the third volume 
of the Memoires du Must urn d'Histoire Naturelle." It was republished 
in a separate volume by I he same author, entitled " Memoires sur diver* 
Sgjeis de 1'Histoire Naiurelle des Insects," &c. Paris, 181&. 
Gg2 



354 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

Afripan forms which have their centre of dominion in the 
burning deserts. Along the Mediterranean shores, the 
traveller may study the habits of many curious insects be- 
longing to the genera Mygale, Oniiis, Cebi'io, Piwelia^ 
Brachycerus, Brentus, and Scaryles, and may also enrich his 
collection by the capture of many beautiful butterflies, and 
other lepidopterous insects, which are more truly charac- 
teristic of Northern Africa. Spain especially exhibits many 
features of African zoology. The European entomologist 
there finds, for the first time, several species of the following 
genera : — Erodius, Sepidium, Zygia, Hemoptera, Galeodes, 
Brachinusy and Pimelia. But it is only after crossing the Me- 
diterranean, and traversing the African shores, whether north 
of the Atlas, or eastward towards the coasts of the Red Sea, 
that our eyes are delighted with the hitherto unknown forms 
of Anthia, Graphipterus, Siagona, and numerous other spe- 
cies unknown to the colder and moister shores of Europe. 

But no sooner do we leave the Mediterranean coasts of 
Africa, and enter upon the more weary and disastrous pilgrim- 
age of the great deserts, the apparently. limitless expanse 
of which so soon greets the eye of the yet undaunted tra- 
veller, than almost all vestiges of European life, whether 
human or brute, disappear ; and Nubia, Ethiopia, Senegal, 
and a great part of Guinea exhibit entomological forms, 
cognate in character when compared among themselves, but 
separated, in every sense of the words, " longo intervallo," 
from those of Europe. As we proceed further southwards, 
where the chariot of the " Great Apollo" rolls on with a 
still fiercer and more fiery lustre, and the beams of a verti- 
cal sun induce even the tawny Moor and the woolly-headed 
negro to avoid his scorching and sometimes fatal rays, we 
discover many extraordinary forms of insect life, called into 
existence through the instrumentality of that bright efful- 
gence which the pale-faced European has so often sought 
to withstand in vain. From the burning regions of Guinea, 
and the parched shores of the Congo, we derive the finest 
of those magnificent coleopterous insects, named generically 
Goliathus, by Lamarck. The western and equinoctial parts 
of Africa also yield us the species of Petalocheirus and En- 
celadus ; while the Cape of Good Hope is remarkable for 
the genus Anthia and Brachycerus. The last named district 
is almost the exclusive domain of Manticara and Pneumora ; 



INSECTS. 355 

and the southern parts of Africa in general present us with 
Sagra, Diopsis, and Paussus, although it may be observed 
that some of these also occur in the East Indies. The last- 
named genus is remarkable for the very peculiar form of the 
antennas. The genus does not exist in the twelfth edition 
of the Sy sterna Natures, but was published by Linnaeus in 
a separate dissertation in 1775. Only a single species was 
known at that period, and another was added in 1796, by 
Dr. Adam Afzelius, then residing at Sierra Leone.* The 
etymology of the name is supposed by Afzelius to be from 
the Greek itavan, signifying a pause, cessation, or rest ; for 
Linnaeus, now old and infirm, and sinking under the weight 
of age and labour, saw no probability of continuing any 
longer his career of glory. " He might, therefore," adds 
Dr. Shaw, " be supposed to say 'hie meta laborum,' as it in 
reality proved, at least with regard to insects, — pausus being 
the last he ever described."! It was literally, in the lan- 
guage of Young, — 

" An awful pause prophetic of his end V* 

Both Madagascar and St. Helena present a few insects 
"which to a certain extent demonstrate the African com- 
plexion of those islands ; but the latter especially is also 
allied by its entomological features to some of the south- 
western countries of Asia. According to Latreille, Africa 
furnishes no species of the genus Passalus, although it is 
elsewhere widely distributed over America and the East 
Indies. The genera Graphyptera, Eurichora, and Pneumora 
are probably peculiar to Africa. 

Among the hemipterous insects of Africa we may men- 
tion the Mantis precaria, an object of superstitious venera- 
tion among the Hottentots, who hold in the highest respect 
the person on whom the insect happens to alight. 

" I here became acquainted," says Mr. Burchell, in his 
Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa, " with a new 
species of Mantis, whose presence became afterward suffi- 
ciently familiar to me, by its never failing, on calm warm 
evenings, to pay me a visit as I was writing my journal, 
and sometimes to interrupt my lucubrations by putting out 

* Linn. Trans., vol. iv. t General Zoology, vol. vi. p. 43 



356 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

the lamp. All the mantis tribe are very remarkable insects ; 
and this one, whose dusky sober colouring well suits the 
obscurity of night, is certainly so by the late hours it keeps. 
It often settled on my book, or on the press where I was 
writing, and remained still, as if considering some affair of 
importance, with an appearance of intelligence which had 
a wonderful effect in withholding my hand from doing it 
harm. Although hundreds have flown within my power, I 
never took more than five. I have given to this curious 
little creature the name of Mantis lucubrans; and having 
no doubt that he will introduce himself to every traveller 
who comes into this country in the months of November 
and December, I beg to recommend him as a harmless little 
companion, and entreat that kindness and mercy may be 
shown to him."* 

Locusts are of common occurrence in many parts of 
Africa. Mr. Barrow records, that in the southern districts 
which he visited, the surface of an area of nearly 2000 
square miles might literally be said to be covered by them. 
The water of a wide river was scarcely visible in conse- 
quence of the innumerable dead locusts that floated on its 
surface, apparently drowned in their attempts to reach the 
reeds which grew along its shores. Except these much* 
wished-for reeds, they had devoured every other green thing. 
Their destruction on a former occasion was sudden and 
singular. All the full-grown insects were driven into the 
sea by a tempestuous north-west wind, and were afterward 
cast upon the beach, where they formed a bank three or 
four feet high, and extending nearly fifty English miles. 
The smell, as may easily be supposed, was abominable, 
and was sensibly felt at a distance of 150 miles. 

The migratory flight of the locust, and its desolating 
effects upon vegetation, and consequent injury both to man 
and beast, have afforded a frequent exercise to the pen of 
the poet ; but by none have their injurious inroads been so 
magnificently treated as by the Prophet Joel. " A day of 
darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick 
darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains ; a 
great people and a strong : there hath not been ever the 
like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of 

* Burchell's Travels, yoLi.^ 418 



INSECTS. 357 

many generations. A fire devoureth before them, and be- 
hind them a flame burnetii : the land is as the Garden of 
Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness ; 
yea, and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of 
them is as the appearance of horses ; and as horsemen, so 
shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of 
mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire 
that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle- 
array." " The earth shall quake before them ; the heavens 
shall tremble : the sun and moon shall be dark, and the 
stars shall withdraw their shining." " How do the beasts 
groan ! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have 
no pasture ; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate." 

One of the most formidable of the insect tribes of this 
continent is the Termes bellicosus, or white ant. This spe- 
cies dwells in congregated troops, consisting of labourers, 
soldiers, and sovereigns. They build conical nests of mud 
and clay, from 10 to 12 feet high, and divided in the interi" r 
by thin partitions into a variety of cells. These nests arv, 
often very numerous, and appear like villages from a dis- 
tance. Jobson, in his History of Guinea, alleges that they 
are often 20 feet high, and he states that he found them 
extremely serviceable in screening himself and his com- 
panions while engaged in the pursuit of antelopes and other 
wild game. The queen-mother of this species becomes in 
the pregnant state of so enormous a size, that her abdomen 
exceeds by two thousand times the bulk of the rest of her 
body. When the ova are fully formed, they are obtruded 
at the rate of 60 in a minute, or upwards of 80,000 in 24 
hours. 

Of the butterfly tribe, of course, many beautiful species 
inhabit this far-spread continent ; but as little is known of 
their habits and history, and we would seek in vain to ex- 
press by words the splendid colours, the elegant and varied 
forms, and the exquisite pencilling by which they are 
adorned, we shall not here enumerate any of the African 
species ; 

" Nameless in dark oblivion they must dwell," 

except in the minds of those who have studied their gorgeous 
hues in the illumined pages of natural history, or in those fax 



358 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 

more brilliant pages of the book of nature's self, where the 
most successful effort of art is transcended by a feeble 
insect's wing ;^-for the imagination of the poet and the 
painter cannot boast 

u Amid their gay creation hues like these." 

Several species of bee inhabit Africa. The banded bee 
{Apis fasciata) is an object of domestic cultivation ; and in 
some parts of the country a particularly delicious honey is 
derived from the labours of this industrious insect. Wax 
is an object of considerable consequence in the commerce 
of Africa. 

Scorpions and centipedes of enormous size and most for- 
bidding aspect lurk beneath the stones, or glide with m> 
merous feet over the sterile soil ; and the poison of these 
creatures seems to exist in a stronger and more deadly state 
of concentration than in colder climes. Children frequently 
die from the bite of the scorpion in less than three days, 
In regard to the smaller domestic nuisances of the entomo^ 
logical class, we have few data from which to form an opi 
nion. We doubt not that dirt and indolence produce here 
as elsewhere their disgusting concomitants. Captain Lyon, 
however, observed, that although bugs were numerous, 
there were no fleas in Fezzan. 



We come now to the last class of the animal kingdom, 
called Zoophytes. These, Professor Jameson has else* 
where remarked, " although the lowest in the scale of ani- 
mated beings, are yet highly interesting in the sublime 
plan of creation. Their numbers exceed all calculation, — 
the minuteness of many species is such that they are not 
to be discriminated by the aid of our most powerful micro- 
scopes, — they form one extremity of the zoological scale of 
magnitude, of which the other is occupied by the gigantic 
whale of the Polar Regions. The coral-reefs, rocks, and 
islands of the tropical seas are formed by very minute zoo- 
phytes. These reefs, in some regions of the earth, have 
been traced for a thousand miles in length, forty or fifty 
miles in breadth, and to depths sometimes unfathomable ; 
yet they are the work of the most minute animals in 
the creation. We find, too, whole beds of rocks, even eiv 



ZOOPHYTES. 356 

ti?e hills, of very old formation, extending for hundreds of 
miles, characterized by the corals they contain^ thus proving 
that these animals also existed in countless numbers in a 
former condition of our earth, and that then as at present, 
they assisted materially in adding to the solid matter of the 
globe. Zoophytes, from the simplicity of their structure, 
and the geognostic relations of the rocks in which they are 
occasionally found, appear to have been called into exist- 
ence before the other classes of animals."* 

The red coral ( Cor allium fubrum), of which are formed 
so many beautiful ornaments of female dress, and the value 
of which as an article of commerce is consequently great, 
occurs abundantly along the coasts of Tunis and the shores 
of the Red Sea. It is of comparatively slow growth, and 
is never found in such splendid masses as the madre- 
pores. Light effects a powerful influence oil its growth* 
" Thus, at a depth of from three to ten fathoms, it grows 
one foot in eight years ; at the depth of from ten to fifteen 
fathoms, the same length in ten years ; at the depth of one 
hundred fathoms, same length in twenty-five or thirty years ; 
and at the depth of one hundred and fifty fathoms, the same 
length in forty years. It is also remarked, that in general 
the colour is deeper and richer in shallow than in very deep 
water. The coral of Barbary is not reckoned so fine as 
that of Italy or France."f 

The common sponge (Spongia officinalis) forms also an 
article of traffic along some of the African shores. 

We shall conclude our sketch of African zoology by a 
brief notice of a dangerous and disgusting animal (Filaria 
medinensis), commonly called the Guinea worm. This 
gigantic parasite contrives, in a way best know to itself, to 
enter beneath the skin of the human race, especially that 
of the legs, where it will remain for several years, attaining 
in the mean time to the enormous length of ten feet, and to 
the thickness of a pigeon's quill. According to the place and 
manner of its abode, it occasions pains more or less severe ; 
and in the more unfortunate and disastrous instances, its 
continued presence is followed by convulsions and death* 

* Murray's Historical Account of THscoveries and Travels in Africa, 
*o*.ii P- 471 t Ibid, p. 473. 



